Break Me, Shake Me
by Kuja's Little Mage
Summary: Riku: foster child to Ansem. Outside the home, he's a normal, if rebellious teen. Behind closed doors, he's a pedophile's slave. Can Sora and friends liberate him before the pain drives him mad? YAOI/RxS/AxR.
1. Ch 1: This House And Home

**Break Me, Shake Me**

by _Kujazlilmage_

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**Fandom:** Kingdom Hearts 

**Rating:** M

**Pairings:** Ansem/Riku, Ansem/Sora, Riku/Sora

**Side-pairings:** Leon/Cloud, Sephiroth/Cloud

**Disclaimer: **I hereby declare that none of the characters in this story are mine. This fic is only for entertainment purposes and is not meant for money or distribution.

**Summary:** Riku is a disowned rebel teen, turned hard-hearted by the harsh abuse of his foster father. Sora is a simple happy-go-lucky country boy moving into the suburbs, with just as much attitude. When they meet, it's like a spark to start the fire, and slowly it consumes their lives. As their world and the fates of others weave together intertwined, sora's feelings for riku lead him to the conclusion that he will liberate riku from the abusive environment he lives in, no matter what the cost. But can he be victorious, or will his efforts burn to dust, unsuccessful?

**Author's Notes:** You know you're lame when you're addicted to Savage Garden several odd years after their popularity's died out. That and you've only known about _Donnie Darko_'s existence since a few months ago.

Um...this is technically NOT a songfic, it's more like, a "fanfic with a theme song," but if you want to call it a songfic you can. If this were only one chapter I would call it a songfic officially, but that is not the case. So...yes. "Fanfic with a theme song."

Be warned. If Riku seems out of character, then you're probably overlooking the fact that yes, _stuff like that does affect you mentally, _and people can get changed/twisted if they're introduced to such abuse. Just a note for you.

I've played KH2, yes I know about Ansem/Xemnas/Xehanort, but _Ansem sounds better,_ so _please _don't expect me to call him anything otherwise. Thanks for understanding. It's just the writer's preference, that's all!

This chapter's really short, but trust me the next one will be longer. Now, I had the option to either sugarcoat this thing or to slap you in the face...I went with the "slap you in your face." This is not going to be a very happy fic. Quite a bit dark in some places. If this were I would post the full lemon chapters. But this isn't So I can't. So the darkness is toned down a little. Oh, well...enjoy!

**EDIT **

**This was spliced into the proper "Part One" of the story on Tuesday, June 13th, 2006.**

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**Part One

_"Liberation" _

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Chapter 1

_"This House And Home"_

Waking up, the sunlight did nothing to better his mood. Riku blinked it away until it no longer blinded him, and he sat up like a zombie. Routine—everything was routine. The sick part about it all was that he knew it in full by now. Since he'd been a boy; he was used to it. He stared ahead of him at the flat-screen television in front of his bed. He could still remember hearing the sounds of sex and the pornographic movies playing from it on pay per view. "Bedtime stories."

There wasn't any way for him to sugarcoat it. He was dead. Doomed. The flame had died inside him long ago. It would be a miracle if anything could get it fired up again. This was his life, and tried as he had, nobody knew the true horrors that occured behind closed doors. Nobody knew what it was like to be here. To be _his_ kid, when he wasn't even _really_ his kid. Riku knew the leash he was strapped to quite well. He could walk freely and live a normal teenage life, but the minute he came home, there was always something to deviate from the usual pain. Wax. Clamps. Beads. Chains. Whips. Anything _he_ could think of.

Last night had been a Godsend. The Master and Pet routine. "Dad" had been in a good mood then, because Riku had kept his grades up in school. He couldn't promise they would _stay_ that way. But at least that one time, it had counted enough to save him from hiding more scars.

Riku felt the collar around his neck get pulled at the leash. It was reversed, and the blunt metal studs dug into his flesh, giving him goosebumps. He resisted the tug only to feel the cold, harmless spikes on his skin, and sighed as it helped him relax.

If anything, he'd learned one thing by living here.

Pain is good.

"Good morning, pet."

Riku replied without hesitation, still straddling the stomach of the body he'd slept against last night. The one that barely fit on his twin-sized bed. Too small even for him.

"Good morning, master."

"Today is a Saturday."

Riku winced, mentally. Saturday and Sunday. The Splurge Days. He wouldn't be seeing the sun again until Monday. He looked wistfully out the window, where the bright pastel rays of sunshine filled his room. His "room." The one he got when he was "good." He sighed. Good-bye, undersized bed. Good-bye, T.V. Good-bye, freedom.

"I know."

The studs pressed into his skin again, pulling him back, and he obeyed it. His head came to rest on a pillow, beside the head of a man with dark brown skin and hazel eyes, hair as silver as his, and three times his age.

Ansem turned and looked at him, and Riku's soul burned away another little piece of itself under his gaze.

"What game shall we play today?"

Riku sighed dolefully again, his sky-blue eyes as glazed as they had been last night. This question wasn't loaded, like some of them were. This was a question to which he always gave the same answer:

"Anything you want."

Ansem purred approvingly and pulled on the leash, gradually adding pressure. It fit very tightly to Riku's neck, and the teen shut his eyes, letting the pain crawl down his spine. He wished his spine would snap.

"Good boy."

Like a machine, Riku replied with the same worn-out answer again.

"Thanks, Dad."

Ansem nodded again, and stroked his fingers through Riku's silvery hair, which by now was past his shoulders and composed of greasy but beautiful thin spikes. "There's a new neighbor moving in today." He asked, "What are we going to do when they arrive?"

Riku didn't know _why_ Ansem thought he would try that again. Once he'd attempted to rat him out to the parents of a new kid in the neighborhood, even to the kid himself, but it was a pitiful failure. He got caught within less than a day, even as discreetly as he'd slipped the messages. In hindsight, Riku now realized he'd probably slipped them a little _too_ discreetly. The neighbors probably never got the hint.

"We're going to go to the basement." he droned. That incident hadn't even succeeded, hadn't even gotten to the point where the people got the least bit _suspicious,_ but ever since he was fifteen, all of a sudden, it was his Original Sin. The punishment was carried out whenever neighbors moved in, even when they moved out—he'd tried a second time with an old couple leaving the cul-de-sac. He went to school covering up hot wax burns on his stomach.

"Good boy." Ansem praised, still petting Riku's hair. "Now, give your father a hug."

Dutifully, as it was his obligation, Riku rolled over and flung his arms robotically around Ansem's dark chest, a glaring black-and-red tattoo still on his left pec from his youth: a picture of a black heart crossed out by red thorns. At Ansem's request, Riku had gotten the same tattoo in the same place. A mark of Ansem's territory. Ansem's _property_.

"I love you, son." The sentence cut him like a knife. Riku died again inside, for a second or two.

_I'm not your son,_ he thought woefully. At least, he hadn't been before the agency handed him over. _But now I'm yours. _Even mentally, he failed to reject it. It had become a fact of life.

He was used to it.

"I love you too, Dad."

Ansem smiled and squeezed Riku in his arms, returning the hug. "Go eat your breakfast, and get showered. I'll meet you downstairs...my pet."

He sighed again.

"Yes, master."


	2. Ch 2: The New Boy

**Author's Notes:** I was EXTREMELY pleased with the feedback on the first chapter! AND, you guys are lucky, I managed to type up the second one pretty quick-like. Hopefully you'll enjoy it. There's not a lot to say in this chapter, except that I hope you all like what I've done with a few of the characters. 

Enjoy the minor twists!

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Chapter 2

_"The New Boy"_

Sora frowned and curled up in the back seat between stacks of cardboard boxes. Most of them were his, marked respectively as CLOTHES, BOOKS, or GAMES. He looked at the bouquet of summertime flowers in his hands—they were wilting. It was to be expected; summer flowers didn't survive very well in the fall. He picked up the card that came with it, and read:

_GOOD LUCK IN YOUR NEW HOME!_

_WE LOVE YOU, SORA!_

_-the Super Twins_

He sighed. The "super twins" were Kairi and Naminé, who had been his two best friends at his old home. He could still remember riding around on the farm equipment with them when they went to visit his Gramma and Gramps...Naminé had dyed her hair blond right before he moved. He remembered how nice it had looked on her.

Mood worse. Sora sunk lower in his seat with a dejected moan.

His mother peered over the back of her seat, her long brown hair done up in bouncy curls that she'd done herself. You wouldn't have been able to tell that it wasn't the beauty salon.

"Oh, cheer up, Sora! You're not missing them that badly already, are you?"

"I _liked_ them, Mom." Sora muttered, picking the petals off of a daisy in the bouquet.

"Oh, you'll meet lots of new girls. You're so cute and handsome! I'll bet when you go to your new school, the girls will be fighting just to get a piece of you!"

Sora looked up and gave a half-hearted smile, acknowledging his mother's attempts to cheer him up. And his cheeks turned a little red. At sixteen years old, Sora had his mother's dark hair and his father's blue eyes, the former of which was always styled in a nest of messy spikes. While his father didn't approve of it, he didn't complain, and his mother didn't care. He was sixteen, after all. He was old enough to make his own choices.

But the point was, it was true that Sora had the looks of potent cuteness. He'd dated Kairi once back home, but it didn't last very long.

Home.

Well, this was going to be his new home how.

"Sora doesn't want any girls!" piped Selphie, his kid sister, sitting behind one of the stacks of boxes in the back seat. She peeked around the tower of cardboard, grinning. "Sora wants Kaaaiirriii!"

"Shut _up,_ Selphie!" Sora groaned, reaching around to thump the flowers on his perky little sister's head. He missed narrowly as she ducked out of the way, giggling her head off and saying,

"It's true!"

"Seeellllph!" Sora whined. Then he looked up front. "Moooom!"

His mother just chuckled. "Settle down, you two. We're ten minutes away from the new house."

"Selphie," interjected their father, glancing over his shoulder for a moment before he looked at the road again, "You help your brother get his stuff indoors, you hear?"

"Okeedokee!" Selphie said cheerily, swinging her legs and barely missing kicking the back of her mother's seat. Sora leaned back in his seat again, hugging the flowers to his chest. He sighed again, craning his neck up and looking over the boxes out the window on his side, his head leaning far over the back of the seat. He really did miss Kairi. Frowning, Sora looked over at his mother.

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Can I make a quick phone call?"

"You can wait until we've got the house phone working, hon."

Selphie giggled. "Sora misses his girrrllfrieeend!"

Sora hissed demonically at his sister and kicked at the boxes, which threatened to topple. Selphie squealed and held them up, saving herself.

"Sora, be nice to Selphie!" scolded his father.

"She started it," he grumbled. Selphie grinned triumphantly at him and stuck her tongue out. Sora glared at her with a miserable pout, his bottom lip protruding from under the top one slightly. Selphie giggled again.

"My big brother is so cute!" she cooed. Sora's face twisted in disgust.

"Ewww, Selphie, gross! Don't tell me you've got a crush on me?"

"Ewww, no!" Selphie made a disgusted face as well, sticking her tongue out with a wide-open mouth. "Blegh!" In the front seats, their parents exchanged glances and chuckled to themselves, amused by their children's antics. A few minutes later, their roomy, family-sized Sedan had driven up to their brand new house in a small-town cul-de-sac. Even if it wasn't the big city, it was still a lot more populated than way out in the country where they had been. Sora already felt crowded. He sighed mentally. _I'll never get used to this._

121 Twilight Terrace, Bastion County, Alexandria.

Their new home.

As they drove up into the driveway, and Selphie hopped out of the car, Sora looked up at their new "mini-mansion" as he called it (it was a normal-sized house, but their old one had been so much smaller!) and waved. "Hi, House."

"Hi, House!" echoed Selphie, waving more enthusiastically at their empty home.

"Selphie, sweetie! Help your big brother with his boxes, won't you?"

"Okeedokee!" Selphie skipped up to the car. "C'mon, Sora! Let's unpack!"

"Okay, okay." Sora chuckled and helped to haul out a box full of clothing. With a groan—"Hur-rraah!"—he hauled it up onto one shoulder and steadied it there after wobbling a little.

"Oooh, my big brother's so strooong!" Selphie gasped in awe. Sora grinned at her and motioned to the giant stack.

"There's a smaller box of clothes on the top, Selph. Think you can reach it?"

"Yup!" Selphie snatched it up into her arms, jumping up in the process, and turned to face him. It was barely small enough for her smaller arms to hold it, and she had her chin pressed against one side. "I got it!"

Sora and Selphie now both walked up the driveway, past the moving truck that was already there, and into their new house. Sora stepped inside and couldn't help but draw in a deep breath. The place was just so _big_ compared to their old home! Quickly, Sora turned and saw the stairs, and scaled them with Selphie close in tow.

"This box his heavyyyy!" she whined, waddling up the carpeted stairs.

"You promised you would help," Sora said pointedly. "I'll tell you what...how about when we're done with my stuff, I'll help you with _yours?_"

"Yay! Thank you, Sora!"

Sora smiled and kicked open the door to his room that was down the left end of the hall, the second door on the left. "Here we are. This is my room."

"And mine's right across from it, right?" Selphie asked, a very unusual bounce in her tone. She was starting to get hyper. Sora just grinned and set down the box he'd carried up, next to the bed of his that was already in place thanks to the movers. Right by the window, just like he wanted it. The people here were so nice.

"Yep, that's right."

Selphie squealed, ungraciously dropping the box onto Sora's bare mattress. "Now I don't have to walk down the dark, scary hallways when I have a bad dream!"

Sora groaned. Often times, when Selphie had nightmares, she would crawl through the hallways and find her way to his room, and climb into bed in the middle of the night without him noticing. He slept like the dead and would wake up with his little sister starfishing across his body.

"Don't have one every single night," he sighed. "You're a big girl, Selph. You're eleven years old. Besides, don't you still have your old night-light?"

Selphie pouted. "It doesn't work anymore. The monsters are under my bed."

Sora rolled his eyes with a shake of his head. "Did you watch that scary movie from my shelf again?"

Selphie froze, for a moment. Then she locked her arms behind her back, swinging her body left and right. "Ummm...maybe..." she said quietly. Sora sighed and reached down, ruffling his little sister's flip-ended brown hair.

"No more taking my movies without asking, okay? We wouldn't want you to get scared of any more monsters."

His kid sister nodded in agreement. Sora grinned instantly and clapped his hands. "Good! Now let's get the rest of those boxes!"

Selphie pumped her fists in the air and jumped up and down. "Booyaka!" she cried. "We're moving in!"

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They had arrived by around ten-o'clock in the morning, but by noontime they were almost finished getting all the boxes in, and besides that, it was time for a lunch break. Sora's mother was kind enough to pack them all a picnic, and she spread the blanket out for them on the driveway, and they ate right there—peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches, juice boxes and slices of apple. Of course, it didn't take very long for the neighbors to start noticing that there were new folks moving in, and that they were right there in front of the house. It wasn't long before Sora's mother was talking with one of the other mothers in the cul-de-sac; a thin, middle-aged woman with long black hair and eyes the strangest color of purple. Her apparel was mostly neutral grays and blacks, but Sora's mother was never deterred by appearances.

"Welcome to the neighborhood," the woman said with a smile, walking up to their picnic. Sora's mother, always the socializer, smiled and stood up.

"Thank you! I think we're going to like it here!"

"You'll love it. The store is only a short walk away!" Both ladies giggled at the joke and the black-haired mother extended her hand.

"My name is Edea."

"I'm Lisa Tilmitt!" replied Sora's mother, shaking Edea's hand firmly. "This is my husband, John, and my two children. Selphie is my cute little girl," she smirked, "And Sora is my handsome, smart, adorable little boy!"

"Aww, Moooom," Sora groaned, thumbing his nose and shrinking back with a modest blush on his cheeks. "Cut it out!" He looked at Edea with a matter-of-fact expression. "I'm sixteen years old," he thumbed at Lisa, "She still treats me like I'm _six_."

Lisa dropped to the picnic blanket and bear-hugged Sora, who yelped in the middle of eating his sandwich. "It's just because I love you sooo much!" Edea chuckled at the sight, her hands folded neatly in front of her dark gray dress.

"Mooo_oooom!_" Sora whined, receiving a noogie on the head from his father, who cut in:

"You got your good looks from your ol' dad here!"

"_Daaad!_" Both of his parents _and_ Selphie laughing, he wriggled out of Lisa's grip and pouted. "Cut it out!"

"I have a son about your age," Edea mentioned with a tranquil smile. "I think that he would love to meet you sometime. He's out playing with the boys right now at the pool. They're having a little Blitzball game."

Sora and his mother both perked up. "Blitzball?" they asked. Edea nodded her head, as Selphie listened while chewing a slice of apple.

"Yes, it's a very popular game around here. In fact, it's become an official sport. The school has its own indoor pool for playing Blitzball, in fact."

"_Cool!_ The school's got a pool, mom!" Sora cried. Edea chuckled.

"It's an underwater sport. From what I understand, it's like a cross between soccer and football, but don't rely on me. You'll have to ask my son."

"Are there any other sports that the kids play around here?" wondered Lisa. "We just moved in from the country, you see...we're total bumpkins!"

Sora scoffed. "Mom, we're not _bumpkins._" he groaned.

"Then in that case, we're _hicks!_" Selphie blurted. All of the adults laughed, and Edea commented on how cute Selphie was. Sora just covered his face and shook his head with a disgruntled sigh. Like every teenager, he was embarrassed by his family's dysfunctional antics, and he predicted he would be spending more time playing games and making friends than socializing with the neighborhood folks. He knew it probably wouldn't take long for him to make friends, anyway. People always seemed to draw towards him like moths to a flame.

Their entire picnic blanket was surrounded by various couples and had already been stocked with some complimentary tupperware boxes of trail mix and leftover home-baked truffles by one-o'clock that day. Selphie didn't mind sticking around with her parents and listening to the adults talk, but Sora wanted nothing more than to find where all the boys were and see if there was something he could do. He looked around the cul-de-sac, trying to look for something to do, and he happened to spot an overturned skateboard, just lying out in the relative middle of the street. Sora tilted his head, curious. Did that belong to someone? And if so, who had left it lying there?

He excused himself politely and told his mom he was going off to "check out the scenery," then Sora carefully approached the skateboard, like someone would suddenly come by and snatch it up and scold him. He looked around for a moment, then he slyly slipped his foot underneath the slightly curved board, examining the design on the bottom. There was a white, half-heart, half-club-like insignia on it with various kinds of stickers haphazardly stuck on all around it. He kicked his foot up and flipped the board perfectly right-side up. Sora had a skateboard himself—it was one of his pasttimes at their old town—but it was still packed, and he couldn't resist borrowing this one. It looked pretty sleek, too. He wondered how expensive it was.

Still curious, Sora put one foot on the board, and then he got some momentum, and began to cruise down the street. On the way down a hill to the dead-end of the cul-de-sac, he managed to do a kick-flip and a couple of ollies, which made him feel pretty proud of himself. Sora could still shred the pavement! Or that was as good as he'd gotten out in the country, anyhow. But, he was happy with that. Sora did this for a little while before he had to stop, hearing a voice call out to him over the chatter of the adults in the distance.

" 'Scuse me! I believe that's _mine!_"

Sora came to a gradual stop until he was staring straight into the face of a blue-eyed, blond-haired young boy, perhaps a couple years younger than him with his hands on his hips. He was shirtless and was only in a pair of swim trunks, and there were several other boys behind him...and a couple of girls in their bathing suits, too, with towels wrapped around their waists. They obviously just got back from the pool, and the sunny-haired blond who'd just talked and the sandy-haired blond right next to him seemed to lead the group.

"Oh, um, sorry." Sora kicked the board up to stand and handed it to him with an apologetic smile. "It was just kind of lying out there in the middle of the street, and I figured I would test it..."

"Aaah, no prob!" the boy said with a grin, taking it back. "Hey, you know, you weren't bad. We all saw you doing a couple of flips from back here. Where'd you learn your tricks?"

Sora's smile turned sheepish and he scratched his cheek. "Heh. They're nothing special, just a few things I picked up back home in the country..."

"You're pretty slick for a country kid, ya?" chuckled a red-headed and very tan boy in the group. He had a ball tucked under his arm that was white with a blue stripe across the center. Sora eyed it, and then looked at the group of players, and gasped.

"Hey! You guys must play Blitzball!" he cried in amazement. The two blonds at the front exchanged glances, and then broke into snickers.

"Gee, you're pretty slow on the uptake, aren't ya?" teased the tanner, sandier-haired blond.

"He's a _cute_ one!" murmured one of the girls in the back.

"Hey, let's not mob him!" joked the sandy blond. "You're obviously new around here. What's your name, man?"

Sora felt a little better now. These seemed like some pretty nice kids. "Um, Sora. Sora Tilmitt."

"Sora, huh?" The tan blond smirked and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Nice to meetcha! I'm Tidus." Sora waved to him with a smile.

"Hi, Tidus."

"This is Roxas," continued Tidus, wavering to the sunnier-haired blond next to him, who grinned and tucked his skateboard under one arm. "Roxas likes shredding concrete more than he likes shredding water. I think he found a new best friend in you when he saw you using his board."

"This is my _lucky_ board!" interjected Roxas. "Usually, it only does tricks for _me!_"

The red-headed boy laughed. "You're silly, ya."

"The funny-sounding one is Wakka, our Blitzball Captain." Tidus said with a smirk. Wakka glared at him.

" 'Ey, 'ey, 'ey! I don't sound funny! Quit makin' fun of me, ya!"

Sora laughed and nodded his head. "Nice to meet you, Wakka." Tidus thumbed to the mob of kids behind them.

"And these are the members of our Blitzball team. The blond is Alice, the redhead is Anne..." Tidus introduced everyone on the team, and Sora said hello to them all accordingly. He was a little relieved, actually, that they took the first steps to talk. He was pretty social, but sometimes around new kids he tended to get a little shy and wouldn't speak up first. This made him feel a lot more comfortable. The group broke up almost immediately after seeing Sora—which didn't surprise him; after all, they had homes to go to—until it was just him, Tidus and Roxas.

"You know, you should come play a game with us," Tidus offered. "Wakka and I could show you the ropes. We're gonna play again around eleven tomorrow, before it gets too hot. Summer weather still lingering around here a little bit."

"I noticed," answered Sora, looking about. It _had_ been a little warm since noontime, but luckily there was a nice crossbreeze. He looked at Tidus, smiling. "And I'd love to learn how to play! Blitzball sounds really fun!"

Tidus grinned. "It is! You'll love it!"

"Just don't forget that you can skate with me, too!" Roxas cut in, nudging Sora with his elbow. "Hey, you got your own board?"

"Sure do," Sora said with a nod, "But it's still packed up at the moment."

"Cool! When you've got it unpacked, can I see it? There's a skate park about ten minutes from here. We could go rip up some concrete!"

Sora got quiet all of a sudden and shrank back a little, a sheepish grin on his face again. "Gawd, I feel all homey and shit." he mumbled. "You guys are way too nice! Are you sure you're not bullies in disguise or something?"

Tidus and Roxas both burst into laughter. "The only bully you need to worry about is holed up in his house most of the time, and he says almost nothing at school." Tidus giggled, wiping the tears out of his eyes—Sora was pouting from being laughed at, a little embarrassed. "Don't worry, we're the good guys!"

"Um, but what's the name of this person I should be worried about?" Sora wondered. Roxas pointed to a house that was a few numbers down from Sora's, at the dead-end of the cul-de-sac.

"See that house with the shabby-looking curtains in the windows? That's Mr. Atercor's house. Riku lives there."

"Riku?" Sora echoed curiously. "He's the bully?"

"More like a social recluse." Tidus said. "But, he's not so bad once you get to know him, really. He's just a little misunderstood."

Roxas jabbed Tidus with his elbow, snickering. "Tidus here's got a 'brotherhood bond' with Riku."

Sora frowned, seeing Tidus leer at Roxas from the corners of his eyes. "Um, what do you mean by that?" he asked, hoping it wasn't too intrusive of him.

Roxas replied, without hesitating, "They're both fostered."

Sora stopped. He blinked, looking at Tidus, then at Roxas, and he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Oh...I see..."

Tidus grinned jokingly. "Don't worry, I promise I didn't do anything!" he snickered. Sora turned bright red, and held up his hands defensively.

"Oh, God, _no!_ Geez...am I _that_ obvious?" he winced, both mentally and visibly. Roxas gave him a look with one eyebrow quirked, that probably meant to say, "Yeah. Kinda." And Sora laughed nervously at him.

"It's okay, a lot of people react like that." Tidus said with a shrug. "I'm used to it, it doesn't bother me. My mom's Edea Highwind."

"Ohhh, the plain black-haired lady," Sora sighed, remembering her from earlier with his own mother. He smiled. "I like her! She's nice!"

"She's the best Mom I've had so far," Tidus agreed, his voice a little distant. "She's kept me the longest..."

Sora thought he sensed a little bit of loneliness, maybe even rejection, in that tone. Suddenly, he felt kind of sorry for Tidus. It must be tough to move from house to house like he must have done. And he thought moving into _one_ new home was difficult! Well, he hoped that Tidus would stay in this neighborhood. He was really nice. And so was his mom.

"Sora!" Lisa called. "Sora, have you made some new friends already? See—I told you it wouldn't be that bad!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Mom!" Sora shot back at her, sticking his tongue out. "I got _bunches_ of them already, and they want me to play _Blitzball_ tomorrow!"

Tidus and Roxas both waved to her. "Hi, Mrs. Tilmitt!" Tidus called. "How d'ya like the folks?"

"Are you Edea's son?" asked Lisa as the three boys walked over. "Oh, you're so adorable! She's told me all about you!"

Tidus turned a little red. "Aw shucks, Mom, have you been bragging about me again?"

"And since when have I not?" teased Edea, a smirk on her face.

"We should all have a picnic together sometime!" Lisa suggested. "A neighborhood cookout!"

"My goodness, it's been a while since we've had one of those," said Roxas' mother, a cheerful woman with the same hair and eyes as her son. "That's a good idea!"

"Mom," Sora piped, tugging on his mother's sleeve to get her attention before she got swept up, "Can I play Blitzball with Tidus tomorrow?"

"Of course, honey! What time do you want to go?"

"The game's at eleven," Tidus informed her. "I live right next door to you. We could meet up and walk there. The pool's not too far off."

"Sounds great!" Sora said.

"Ah ah ah," Sora's father cut in, "You need to unpack."

"Oh, let him play, John!" Lisa groaned.

Sora found himself smiling again, for the umpteenth time that day. Yeah...he was feeling really comfortable here. He was already off to a great start.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Yes I often do dismiss Selphie as Sora's sister in my fanfics. I've always just seen them that way. Also, Ansem's last name is credit to the writer of _Fire Eyes,_ my good friend DetectiveRaana. I hope she doesn't mind that I borrowed it. She has a knack for making up last names for the characters, and Atercor just sounds so cool!

Keep up the reviews, folks. Again...I was VERY pleased with the feedback!


	3. Ch 3: The Phone That Rings

**Author's Notes:** I'd just like to thank all the reviewers so far for their support and comments. "Different" is what I was going for, and I'm glad some people are finding this fic a little out of the ordinary. Hopefully I can keep it that way!

A little bit of both sides in this chapter. Enjoy the angst, guys. Tell me what you think about what I've done with Kairi and Namine, I tried something a little different with them. Happy reading!

* * *

Chapter 3

_"The Phone That Rings"_

"Supper, everyone!" Lisa called. With boxes still packed up in the kitchen, she'd ordered Chinese for them, and managed to get some plastic silverware. Everyone gathered around the table in their chairs, Sora and Selphie sitting across from each other on the long, rectangular sides, and their parents at each end.

"All right! Food! I'm starving!" Sora licked his lips hungrily. If there was any way to win his heart over, it was with food.

"Sora, it's your turn to say Grace." His father informed him, as he, Selphie, and Lisa joined hands. "Care to do the honors?"

"Sure!" Sora grabbed his parents' hands and they all bowed their heads, eyes closed.

"Lord, we thank you for this food we are about to eat, and for this new house that you have blessed us with, and for all our new friends and neighbors who are so nice to us. In Jesus' name we pray..."

They all chorused, "Amen."

"Dibs on the egg rolls!" cried Sora instantly, reaching over. Selphie squealed and jumped up at the same time.

"Noooo, I want an egg roooolll! Sooraaaa!"

"Hey, hey, hey! What am I raising, a couple of animals?" Lisa pointed to their seats. "Sit down, and we'll pass the food around."

Selphie and Sora both pouted and sat back down. As the food came around and everyone filled up their plates, Lisa decided she would ask her son how the other boys were.

"They seemed really nice!" Sora replied to her. "I'm glad everyone's so friendly here."

"Your mother's going to be the local social butterfly," John chuckled. "You should have seen her talking with Mrs. Highwind and Ms. Winhill. They were regular chatterboxes."

"Ms. Winhill?" Sora asked.

"She's Roxas' mother," Lisa explained. "She was the woman with the blond, blond hair. Remember?"

"Ohh, right." Sora nodded and shoveled a forkful of spicy noodles in his mouth. "She looked nice, too!"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Sora." his father reminded him.

"I found a friend too!" Selphie blurted, swallowing her food with a grin. "Her name's Yuffie!"

"Yuffie?" Sora asked. "She was on Wakka's Blitzball team..."

He saw the look on Selphie's face, and immediately regretted mentioning it. He wilted under those bright, wide eyes, and the maddening grin on her face.

"Can I go with you tomorrow to the game!"

"Awwwww, Seeellllph!"

"Pleeeeeeease!"

"_Mom!_" Sora whined. Without even looking up, Lisa dipped a piece of Sweet and Sour pork in the bittersweet sauce it came with and said,

"She can go if she wants to, Sora."

Sora's eyes widened. "What? This is injustice!"

"Yay! I get to see Yuffie!" Selphie cheered.

"Moooom," Sora groaned, "She'll ruin the whole game!"

"You don't know that," Lisa said pointedly. Sora's fork clattered to his plate as he coiled back in his seat, shocked.

"Yes I do!" he squeaked. "She ruins _everything!_"

"Do not!" Selphie said haughtily.

"Do too!" Sora shot back.

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"All right, that's enough." growled their father, looking at them sternly. "Sora, Selphie can and _will_ go to the game with you tomorrow."

Sora groaned. Just like dad, to make everything official. Now the game was surely a total ruin if Selphie was going to be there. He pouted in his seat and ate his food.

"And Selphie," continued John, looking at his daughter, "If Sora and his friends want you to stay out of their way, you stay out of their way. Understand?"

Selphie joined her brother in the pouting and sighed. "Yes, Dad." she grumbled.

Silence descended on the table, and they all ate in that silence, exchanging hesitant glances before Lisa stood up.

"Why don't I try to get the T.V. to work? A little news will do us some good! Nothing like keeping up with the world, you know!"

"I don't know why you think the news is so great, Mom." Sora mumbled.

"Because, honey, you might learn something! Sometimes they have interesting headlines!" Lisa unpacked the television from one of the boxes—the kitchen one, which was pretty small. So, while Sora and Selphie packed up the leftovers and put them away, and cleared the table, their parents spent the time setting up the television.

"We need cable." Sora said suddenly as Lisa turned the television on.

"Need it?" she questioned. "Do we _need_ to pay for that? Cable is expensive, hon."

"But wouldn't it be great if we got more channels?" pointed out Sora.

"Oh, bother! The channels are fine as they are." Lisa flipped the channels until it got to the news channel. "You see? Perfectly fine!"

Sora sighed and sat down with Selphie as they reluctantly listened to the passing news headline. "...Adopted yet another lonely child from the local orphanage. The popular modeling figure continues to amaze the public with his good will towards the orphaned and unwanted; earlier this week he also signed the papers to adopt a foster child from the county fostering agency..." the screen showed a news clip of a young man with short, spikey hair, surrounded by dozens of children, some teenagers, some much younger. Sora whistled.

"Can you imagine taking care of _all_ of those, Mom?"

"I imagine that poor man goes to bed with a _very big headache._" she chuckled.

"It's nice to see the folks around here giving back to the community," John commented. "I mean, take this young man. He's taking care of all those children when no one else will take them in. A kind soul, that one."

Sora groaned to himself. The sappiness and admiration was getting too thick for him to handle. "Mom, can I borrow your cell phone?"

Selphie grinned. "Sooora has a _girrrllfrieeend!_" she sang.

"Shut _up,_ Selphie!"

"I suppose." Lisa said, fishing through her pocket. "But try not to eat up my minutes. It's not past nine-o'clock yet, so my free unlimited minutes aren't active yet."

"_Yes,_ Mom." Sora said, a little forcibly. His mother had just gotten that cell phone a few months before they'd moved, and she was a little crazy about all the things it could do. She took pictures with it, recorded videos, played around with the ringtone, gave the faceplate a new color every month...it was wild. Sora hoped she wouldn't do something weird with it around his friends, because it would just remind them all of how much his family had grown up under a rock. Lisa held her phone out to her son, and Sora took it with a thanks, then stalked off to a place where Selphie wouldn't bother him and flipped it open, dialing.

"Five-six-three...two...two...six...nine."

* * *

"Nami!" Kairi called, "Nami, it's your turn to do the dinner dishes!"

"I did them last time!" cried her twin, watching the television. "You go do them!" The both of them had southern accents as thick as paste, and so did their father, who took care of them alone in lieu of their late mother. Not everyone in their neighborhood had accents like theirs; but Kairi, Naminé, and their father had moved to Dali from Traverse County. It was a good deal different up here than it was down there; Dali was far up north compared to Traverse, even though it was still technically out in the country.

"You did not!" Kairi groaned. "Papa! Didn't I do the dinner dishes last night?"

"Naminé cleaned out the chicken pot, remember?" said her father, who was busy typing on the computer. "It's your turn, honey."

"See, I told you," Naminé said triumphantly. Kairi huffed and put her hands on her hips.

"Oh, you suck-up!" she growled, pouting.

Naminé waved an arm above the couch. "I love you too!"

Just then their father groaned. "Aww, _sheeit!_" he hissed. Then, remembering his language: "I'm sorry, girls. The modem disconnected."

Kairi smiled and shook her head. "You and your Internet, Daddy."

Just then, the phone rang.

"I'll get it!" Naminé offered, hopping up from the couch. "Maybe it's Sora!"

Kairi's interest piqued. "Sora? Hey!" She bolted for the phone, chasing after her twin. "Nooo, Naminé, I wanna talk to Sora!"

"Well I do, too!" Naminé whined back, picking up the receiver. Kairi groaned and reached for it, but Naminé held it above her head, standing up on a chair. Which was dangerous, since this was a chorded phone, after all.

"Darnit, Nami, lemme talk to Sora!"

Naminé ignored her sister and held the phone in her hands like a gift from God, a sweet smile on her face as she held it coyly between her shoulder and her ear. Kairi turned red from fury and jumped for it again. "_Hey!_ Don't you be tryin' nothin' on my man, you hear! _Naminé!_"

"Haaaeeeyy, Sora." Naminé cooed. "Y'all movin' in okaaay?"

Kairi hissed when her fraternal twin sister didn't give her the phone

"Oh, I'm doin' good, and how about youuu?" Naminé smiled, and giggled. "Yeah, that sounds like—"

"Naaaminéeeee," Kairi whimpered. "Pleeease?"

"There's more'n one phone in the house, Kairi," Naminé said matter-of-factly. Kairi sighed and mimicked her sister's slightly thicker accent under her breath—"More'n wun fone in the howse, _Kyyyreee._" Then she disappointedly skulked off to the kitchen phone (where all the dinner dishes were sitting nearby) and picked up.

"Sora! I'm sorry, my sister just would not _give up the phone,_" she growled the last part as she started the three-way talk.

"Yoouuu get along juuust fine on a party line," Naminé sighed. "You big baby. What, you wanna be alone with your boyfriend?" she teased.

"Actually, I do!" Kairi groaned.

"Boyfriend?" Sora questioned in the phone. "Kairi, I thought we broke up."

Naminé's eyes bulged out of her head in the other room, and she clamped her hand over her mouth so that Kairi wouldn't hear her snickering. _She done dangled him like a cat on a string!_

Kairi was obviously knowing that Naminé must be laughing at her, since she was on the other line, and her face paled. "...Er...Sora...aren't we still dating?" she asked, hopefully.

"You didn't want to kiss me, remember?" Sora reminded her. "On our first date?"

Naminé thrust her head in and looked at Kairi with a wide, entertained grin on her face. Kairi's, of course, turned red as a beet.

"Awwww, Soraaa, did I forget to tell you how shy my sister is?" she said into the phone, the sound echoing in the kitchen to Kairi's other ear and making her turn even redder.

"She doesn't seem shy to me." Sora said thoughtfully. As an afterthought, he added, "But you're really pretty, Kairi."

"Aww, tryin' to sugarcoat it, what a sweetheart!" Naminé cackled, away from the phone. Kairi threw the dishtowel at her, and Naminé dodged it, taking the hint and leaving the kitchen.

"Kairi?"

"Yeah, I'm here!" Kairi cried suddenly. "S-Sora, I'm sorry, did you think that meant I was _breaking up_ with you?"

A pause. If Naminé wasn't smart-talking, she must have hung up. Well, at least Kairi loved her for giving her privacy.

"...Well, I thought...I mean, most couples kiss on their first date..."

"But, you kinda sprung it on me..." Kairi mumbled.

"Sprung? Kairi, it's a normal thing to do."

Kairi turned red again. "Y-Yeah, I-I know, but...I mean, you heard my sister, I'm kinda shy." She groaned mentally, slapping herself for such a lame excuse.

"I thought Naminé was the shy one," pondered Sora.

"Okay, well, I was nervous!" Kairi groaned. "I'm sorry, Sora, I didn't want you to misunderstand, I just..." she sighed. "Okay, I deserved that. I'm sorry. I guess I kinda did give you the could shoulder."

"Yeah, you kinda did." Sora's tone didn't sound very happy, even sarcastic. Kairi winced. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't handled that date very well at all. Maybe this was her punishment. If anything, she probably deserved it for misleading Sora like that, and...oh, no. Naminé was going to chew her out for acting like a hussy.

"I'm sorry," Kairi said again.

"Don't apologize so much," Sora replied. "Anyway...so I guess we're still dating?"

Kairi smiled a little. "Of course, Sora."

"Okay." said Sora. "So, when I come visit you or you come visit me, you'll give me that kiss?"

"Definitely!" Kairi nodded her head, even though Sora couldn't hear that on the phone. "Of course, Sora. I'll make up for when I didn't kiss you on our date!"

Sora laughed on the other end of the line. "Okay. It's another date then!"

Kairi giggled. She got nervous, though. Another date? She hoped she would do better on the second than she had on the first. "Okay," she agreed. "It's a date."

* * *

"What do you mean, you can't make it?"

"I'm just busy, okay?"

Tidus laughed. "Riku, who's busy on a _Sunday?_"

The foster of Atercor growled on the other end of the line.

"_I am,_" he hissed. Tidus twirled the chord of the phone in his room disappointedly.

"Riku, you promised you'd come play a game with us. Please? I know you don't like to go outside, but you're a really good player. Wakka saw you Blitzing with Midgar High. He said you could be a top contender in the competition, if you worked for it...please?" When Tidus didn't get a response, he added hopefully, "It'll be good for you."

"I didn't _promise_ anything," Riku snapped. "And how do you know what's good for me and what's not? You don't understand! _I can't play tomorrow!_"

"Whoa, man, easy!" Tidus held the phone away from his ear when Riku yelled that last sentence. "Take a chill pill, Riku. Can't you _try_ to make it, at least? I mean, we won't even make you play. You could just sit there and watch."

"Why the fuck are you so worried about me, huh?" Riku snarled. "Why do you keep bothering me? Is this because I'm an F-Child like you?"

Tidus winced. _F-Child._ Foster Child. It hurt as much as calling a Deaf person dumb. "Riku, I'm your friend. I'm just trying to get you out more...you've been inside a lot more than usual lately...I'm just concerned."

"Well, look who's talking, Mister Perfect." the teenager spat. "Congratulations, you've just earned yourself some brownie points. Good fucking show, Wattson. Now fuck off and don't you EVER call me again."

Tidus' eyes widened. _What?_

"Wait, Riku, don't hang—" _Click._ "—up..."

The dial tone overtook his ear, and Tidus reeled back slowly, staring at the phone. What the fuck just happened? Just what kind of bug did Riku have stuck up his ass? Sure, he had his moods sometimes, but he rarely _ever_ got this bad. Tidus had seen him act this way towards others, but never him. If anything, he'd always been the one to stop Riku's rampage in one of his moods and to get him back up again. Something was wrong here.

A little disappointed, and more than hurt, Tidus hung up the phone and sighed, falling back on his bed. He only got a few moments' rest before the phone rang again. His mood soured, Tidus picked it up and held it to his ear as he laid back on the pillows.

"Yeah." he droned.

"Whoa, man, you sound beat, ya?" said Wakka's voice. "Did you talk to Riku yet? He's gonna play with us tomorrow, ya?"

"No." Tidus sighed. "He's busy."

"Busy? On a Sunday?"

"Yeah." Tidus said sadly. "That's what I said."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** My favorite sequence was with Kairi. Now, as much as I don't like her, I'm going to try and NOT make her a total bitch, so bear with me if you hate Kairi, okay? I promise Sora won't stay with her. (wink wink) 


	4. Ch 4: Man in the Box

**Author's Notes: **I hope I'm not posting too fast for everyone. Once again, thanks for the support. It's just that I like to get these chapters up shortly after I write them so that I don't forget. It also keeps me motivated to write.

This chapter, like the story, is named after a song. If you can name the artist, you'll have found the first Easter Egg in the story.

Someone hoped that this would have Riku's Point of View...I hope they're satisfied!

* * *

Chapter 4

_"Man in the Box"_

Two scents. Two he could place. Blood and sex. It clouded his head and drove him insane. His liquids and Ansem's were dried onto his skin, and fresh welts from hot wax littered his torso. He could barely keep his wits together to talk to Tidus, let alone go out to play tomorrow. Irritated by the blond's phone call now, he tore through the house, stomped upstairs to the hallway shower, and shoved the door shut behind him. He practically ripped open the transluscent glass door to the shower, and he stepped in without bothering to undress. There were no clothes to speak of. Without shutting the door, he grabbed the faucet control for cold water and turned it all the way over, then pulled up the tab to turn on the showerhead.

He wrenched his eyes shut and hissed when the ice-cold water pellets hit his skin, making him feel like a branding iron under a waterfall. He could swear he was sweating steam, and he didn't give a shit if he were. That's all he had to give: steam.

For fifteen agonizing minutes he stood still under that chilly spray, feeling the pain and sin wash down the drain. The abuse of the past several hours blurred together in his mind and soon became nothing but another memory. Once that happened, it was buried forever, only to be dug up when the time called for enduring such pain once again. It faded. And Riku picked up his face, eyes opening, lucid, loose, and feeling dream-like. He carefully scraped and chipped the dried wax off his skin, gentle in the places the burns were worst, and then he picked up the bottle of body wash on the shower's corner shelf and squeezed some into his palm. He rubbed his hands together under the water, lathering it up, and then trailed his hands over his beaten skin, uncaking the dried blood and sex that covered him and washing it away. On the outside, he made himself clean, but he was still as filthy, broken and twisted as ever, and he accepted this, even embraced it. This had become his life. He was used to it.

When his body was cleaned, he washed his hair out, then rinsed clean and turned the shower off. Riku was very gentle towelling off, not wanting to make the welts and bleeding worse. He sat on the toilet, the towel around his waist, staring down at the linoleum floor. Now that he had calmed down, Tidus' words ran rampant through his thoughts.

_"It'll be good for you._

_"I'm just concerned..._

_"Please come play, Riku?_

_"You don't even have to participate. Just sit and watch..."_

Riku blinked, rewinding and then playing forward again. "Sit...and watch..." he murmured.

Riku opened the bathroom door and stepped quietly out into the hallway, walking into his "Good Boy Room," and stared out the window that had such shitty, puke-green curtains. Peeling them back, he stared outside at the cul-de-sac, illuminated by street lights lining the sidewalk. He closed his eyes and imagined Sunday morning, filled with daylight, his chance to play outside, to be a boy, a teenager. To be _free._

Suddenly, it didn't seem like such a bad idea. God, he wanted to get the hell out of here! Anything to escape the pain! Anything...

_Fuck,_ he moaned, distressed, _Some wishful thinking there, Riku._

Yet despite knowing it was wishful, his mind still plotted, the fires of rebellion and hatred rekindling: a tiny flame hidden deep within him, one that only rarely ever got out. How could he do it? He could sneak out and go see Tidus at the pool—no, no. That was _suicide._ Ansem would rip him a new asshole. Could he ask for permission? No...Riku bit down on a stubby thumbnail. That would just delay the inevitable. He would be walking like a duck after Monday evening. God, this was like running circles! There was no way he could win! Everywhere he turned it took him in the same direction. Nowhere to hide. Nowhere to run. He had options, and they all had the same end: Pain. He was boxed in. _Grrr..._ Riku grunted and went over his options. _Jump out the window. Ask for permission. Jump. Ask. Jump. Ask. But why would I ask when he would just fuck me on Monday?_

A thought dawned on him.

_Unless..._

He thought it over. Yes...yes...that just might work!

Riku grinned deviously, the life returning to his eyes for as long as he was in that room.

It would be extra painful. But it would be worth it.

* * *

Ansem was clicking away a messsage into his computer. A message to a message board. As his hazel-colored eyes scanned his writing, choosing his words carefully, the news droned on in his ears in the background, as he relaxed on his bed.

"...Once again, he is the pinnacle of tabloid attentions. Not only is he keeping twenty—count them, _twenty_—children in his house, but there have been reports that the popular male model has been furthering his career by..."

He heard a knock on his door. Ansem didn't even look up. "The door is open, Lovely." he called.

Riku stepped into the room, naked. The towel dropped in front of the door behind him.

Ansem broke his gaze with the computer and stared into his foster son's glazed blue eyes. Riku stared back at him. For many minutes, they remained like that. Ansem cocked his head impatiently.

"Is there something you want?"

"Yes." Riku said silently. "I want to play."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Hmmmm, and with that last sentence I'll leave you all to your filthy minds. Remember to leave me some love! 


	5. Ch 5: Under Your Skin

**Author's Notes:** Well, this _was _going to wait until tomorrow, but then one of my reviewers reviewed nearly every chapter, and I go on updates by how many reviews I get. You lucky ducks. Now you get to see what Riku's reaction is to meeting Sora.

Let us watch the sparks fly, shall we?

By the way, if you guessed the name of the artist for the last title chapter, and you guessed _Alice in Chains_, you were _right!_

I actually do think of "Man in the Box" as Riku's theme song for this story. Why do I have a theme song, you ask? Well on the way to visit family in an eight-hour car drive, this fanfic actually earned its own soundtrack. Twenty tracks, on two discs of ten songs. Most of the themes are on the "First Disc". I was either really bored or really inspired, or maybe I'm just lame/nerdy that way. Eh. (shrugs)

Happy reading! Leave me love and fuel my muse!

* * *

Chapter 5

_"Under Your Skin"_

Sora was up bright and early the next morning (meaning nine-thirty). He spent his time lounging around the house, entertaining Selphie. The reason he did this was because he hoped to distract her attention from going with him to the pool with Tidus today. He ate leftover Chinese for breakfast, since there was no other food in the house.

After playing around for about forty-five minutes with his kid sister, Sora showered to get clean after unpacking a towel and some toiletries, then dug through his boxes of clothes. Where was it? Where was it?

"Mooom!" he shouted down the stairs, clutching his towel around his waist. "Mom, where's my bathing suit?"

"It should be with your clothes, honey!" Lisa called back, unpacking her own boxes.

Sora frowned. If it was with his stuff, why couldn't he find it? He went back and furiously clawed his way through the mass of clothes, throwing them this way and that around the room. "Aha!" he finally cried, whipping out his favorite pair, two-toned, with black on the front and a bloody color of red on the back. He quickly changed into them, then picked out an oversized black shirt with a sketchy skull symbol on the front, and found his favorite crown necklace sitting amongst the clothes he'd tossed on the floor. He threw that on around his neck, the thick chain clinking against his chest. It wasn't real silver or anything, but he liked it. "Oh yeah," he'd said when he'd first worn it, "I'm the King!"

Sora then threw on a pair of flip-flops and checked the clock on his bedside table. With the time he'd taken to eat, play with Selphie, shower, then rip through his clothing boxes...it was...ten twenty-two. Barely made it!

"Wicked," Sora mumbled to himself, running downstairs with a bounce in his step. After all, he was really excited! He would get to learn a new sport! And he'd already made the friends to do it! He really liked Tidus. Tidus was such a nice boy.

Hmmm...a thought passed Sora about what he'd said about that kid, Riku. He wondered if he was as nice as Tidus? He hoped so.

He only had to wait a little while before he saw Tidus walking up to his driveway. Sora quickly snuck out the door and met Tidus on the doorstep before the blond could even knock—his hand was raised to do so when he stopped, blinking.

"Whoa. Anxious."

Sora clung to Tidus' arm and started to drag him away. "Hey, what's the rush!"

"Quick, let's leave before my sister comes!" Sora hissed under his breath. Tidus grinned.

"Ohhh, I get it." he murmured back. "Escaping babysitter's duty?"

"I'm escaping pure _Hell,_ is what I'm doing," the brunet groaned. "Trust me, if she comes with us, the afternoon will be as good as ruined!" He pulled on Tidus' arm harder. "Come on!"

Just as they were halfway down the driveway, Lisa came up to the door.

"Sora, where are you going?" she called, her voice casual. But Sora winced, feeling her eyes bore holes into his back. He turned around timidly.

"Um...I'm going to the pool..."

Lisa crossed her arms. "Without your sister?"

As if right on cue, Selphie burst out the door with a hyperactive grin on her face, wearing a flowery yellow one-piece and a pair of flip-flops with blue straps, a towel and goggles in her arms.

Sora sulked. Tidus smirked, hiding his amused chuckles with one hand. "Your sister's adorable," he mumbled to Sora. "She might not be so bad."

"Yeah, you think so _now._ Wait until you've set her loose."

"Oh, don't let it rain on your parade." Tidus chuckled. "When you're Selphie's age, it's easy to be entertained."

"I guess so."

"Booyaka! We're going to the pool!" Selphie squealed.

* * *

The public pool was a good twenty-minute walk, so by the time they'd gotten there, Sora was shocked that Selphie hadn't complained. She usually hated to walk. When they arrived, Tidus had to give Sora and Selphie visitor's passes, since they didn't have valid pool passes in their county just yet. When they went through their respectively separated locker rooms and met inside the pool area, Sora gasped and froze in place. 

"Oh my God! This is so _awesome!_"

Tidus grinned proudly. "Do you like it? I'll bet it's not like out there in the country, huh?"

Selphie saw it and shook her head along with her brother. "Nuh-uh!" she agreed. "This pool is _humongo!_"

In front of them was a round pool, with a square tab on the edge with steps where you could walk in, and ladders evenly spaced all around to climb out. In diameter, it was about half the length of a standard school football field. Wakka's team was already there, and so was another Blitzball team, it appeared.

"This is wicked!" Sora cried.

"It's also about thirty feet deep," Tidus explained, making Selphie squeak. "The reason is because this pool isn't just used for practice. We actually hold official Blitzball tournaments here. Did you see all the equipment hanging in the locker rooms?"

"I sure did!" Sora nodded his head. "So, that was for all the Blitzball players?"

"You bet." Tidus added, "But most of the time we bring our own." He waved to the caged-in pool, the half-dome above it making a complete sphere if you counted the water-filled half. "See the cage around it? That's to keep the players inside the field. Under the water, they built little pumps around the edges that can shoot you out of the water. So you can spike the ball in midair."

Sora looked at Tidus with wide, hungry eyes, soaking all of this up with nothing but intrigue and excitement. "Isn't that dangerous?" he asked. Not that he cared. It sounded fun!

"It is if you're not careful," replied Tidus. He noticed then that Selphie was staring in awe at it, and he smirked. "What's wrong, Selphie? Too scary for you?"

Selphie gulped. "I-I'll just get a tan..." she murmured.

Tidus leaned over and whispered to Sora, "See? Easily entertained."

Sora smiled. "I guess so." he whispered back.

" 'Eeeeyyyy!" Wakka strode up to them. Tidus held out his forearm.

"Wakka! My man!"

"What's up, ya!" They knocked their arms together, once up high, once down low, then smacked their fists together. "Sora, glad you could make it!" He saw the look in Sora's eyes and laughed. "It's a lot to take in, ya?"

"I feel like a noob." He admitted shyly, his face a little pink. By now, he noticed, Selphie had found a lounging chair to sit in and was spreading out her towel on it. Good.

"Don't worry, man. We'll teach you the rules!" Wakka assured him, grinning. "It's reeeally easy. Trust me. After a while, you'll get it!"

"It is." Tidus nodded in agreement to Sora. "It's a very simple sport. You'd be surprised. It looks complicated, but it's really not."

Sora laughed nervously. "When you guys say that, it just makes it sound harder."

Wakka snickered and slung an arm around Sora. "Why don't we explain the rules to you before we get in the cage? That way you won't be totally lost when you play, ya?" He snapped his fingers. "Oh, ya! And we'd like you to meet our practice team, the Alexandria Wizards...our team is the Besaid Raiders. From Besaid High School, ya."

Sora was introduced to the Wizards team, and then made sure he remembered everyone with the Raiders. He did. Yuffie, however, was currently off conversing with Selphie. Wakka and Tidus also explained all the rules to him—how to pass, how to score, fair play and fouls. Sora was, as Tidus told him, surprised. It actually did sound a lot simpler than he'd thought. Wakka offered to give him tips on how to spike, but Sora passed politely. "Let's stick with basics for now," he laughed.

"Hey, where's Roxas?" He asked after a moment, looking around.

"Oh, Roxas couldn't make it." Tidus replied. "He's out on a movie date with Alice. But it's okay, we should have plenty of players, unless Yuffie sits out."

Wakka glanced over at Yuffie and Selphie, who were giggling and chattering away. "Mmm, she just might." he teased. "Look at them. Typical girls, ya?"

Sora pulled off his red shirt, now only in his swimsuit like the others, and set it aside with his towel and Selphie's things before coming back. "So I guess we can start?"

"Yeah! Right on, ya! Let's get this game started!"

"Without me?"

Heads turned, and Tidus' eyes widened in shock. But he thought he couldn't make it!

* * *

Sora saw the teenager walking towards them, and drew in a breath. He couldn't stop staring. He had long silver hair down to his upper back, and it shaded over his face in shaggy bangs, eyes blue-green like a carribean sea peering out from underneath, his skin pale and creamy. He wore a light-blue, loose tank top, under which he could vaguely see a tattoo on his left pec. And he had matching dark-blue swim trunks on, walking barefoot. Sora could only think of one word to describe him. 

Gorgeous.

The pale (he almost wanted to say "angelic") teen smiled at them, and Sora groaned mentally, feeling plain all of a sudden. Wakka was tan and strong, Tidus was incredibly cute, and now this guy...he was almost _perfect!_ Why were all the boys in this town so damn _pretty?_

...Wait. _Where did **that** come from?_

"Wakka, shame on you. Starting this party without inviting me."

"Last I checked, you weren't comin', ya."

"Riku, you made it! Slick!" Tidus walked up to him instantly, smiling, and Riku smirked back as they slapped a high five. But Sora blinked at them and his eyes widened.

"Wait..._you're_ Riku?" He grinned. "Tidus told me about you!"

Riku looked up at him. Sora thrust his hand out for a shake. "I'm Sora Tilmitt! I just moved here! Nice to meet you!"

Sora regretted that not one second after. Riku gave him a look that would kill the dead twice over. He frowned.

"...Or not..."

* * *

He scowled at the Plain Jane brunet in front of him, his carribean eyes solidifying into pure hatred. Tilmitt. _So..._

"You're the new kid?" he growled. Sora shrank his hand back, looking guilty. _Yeah, that's right. Fuck you, you little man-bitch._

"Uh...yeah. I moved in yesterday."

Riku turned up his nose and snorted. "Yesterday?" That was when Ansem had punished him for his "Sin". _You horrible little RAT,_ he hissed mentally, _You made my life Hell yesterday!_

Sora shifted uncomfortably under Riku's gaze. He turned his eyes away, glancing at Tidus nervously, and the blond gave Riku a warning look: "Don't screw this up now, or I'm going to kick your ass." It said. Riku paid it no mind.

"So we're playing with the normal rules?"

"Sure. Looks like Yuffie won't be joining us anyway, ya." Wakka turned and shouted to their teammate: "Oy, YUFFIE! You chatterin' away over there, you don't mind letting Riku take your place, ya?"

"Not a bit; have fun, boys!" was Yuffie's instant reply.

"We explained the rules to Sora already," Tidus informed Riku. Riku rolled his eyes.

"Tidus, there are only two rules in Blitzball." He gave Sora that hateful glare again. "Don't get hit, and kick your opponent's ass."

Sora gulped and scooted a little closer to Tidus, who jabbed Riku in the arm.

"Be nice," he snarled. "I invited Sora myself."

"Oh, is that so." Riku said challengingly, leering down at Sora. "Well," he said, forcing a charming smile, "Any friend of Tidus' is a friend of mine."

_I'm going to run you into the ground, you little shit. How DARE you move into my cul-de-sac._

"Let's get in the cage, ya." Wakka said. "And play some Blitzball!"

As Riku passed by Sora and got into the water, he gave him that nasty look again, just to make sure Sora got his point. _You better fear me, Tilmitt, because I'm going to ruin your life like you ruined mine._

_

* * *

_

Sora shuddered under Riku's cold gaze as the older teen followed the boys and girls into the Blitzball arena, and gave Tidus a nervous glance.

"Um...did I do something wrong?"

Tidus sighed and shook his head. "Riku..." he mumbled. Looking at Sora, he replied, "I'm sorry. He must be in one of his moods. He didn't sound very good on the phone last night, so I expected as much..."

Sora's bottom lip pouted a little, he being a tad bit upset. "Yeah, I know, but...he acted like I'd done..._something_...to him."

"He's like that with all the new neighbors. Try not to let it get to you. He's nice once you get to know him."

Anna and one of the other girls, Terra, giggled behind them. "It's too bad Riku's gay," Anna commented. "He's really _cute!_"

"No, more than cute!" Terra squealed. "He's _hot!_ Like, the Brad Pitt kinda hot!"

This was news to Sora. He turned to Tidus questioningly, having rarely ever heard about homosexuality in his own hometown.

"Riku likes guys?"

"Yeah." Tidus looked at Sora suddenly with a wicked smirk. "So, what do you think? Is he sexy or what?"

Without thinking, Sora replied what he'd been thinking earlier. "He's gorgeous."

Tidus, Anna and Terra all burst out laughing. Sora paused for a minute, before his brain caught up with his mouth, and he gasped and turned beet-red, wrenching his eyes shut.

"Oh, my God, I'm sorry I'm sorry! I _swear to God,_ I'm straight!"

"It's cool, esé!" Anna snickered, her face red also—but from laughing, unlike Sora's position. Tidus patted his shoulder reassuringly.

"Yeah, every guy here is guilty of the same moment, even me. And I'm straighter than an arrow." Tidus grinned. "Riku's really lucky. He's just a super-handsome guy. You should see the girls at school; they practically formed their own fanclub."

"A Riku Fanclub?" Sora chuckled at the thought. "He must be a real catch, then."

Terra and Anna giggled again. Likewise, Sora blushed, and kicked himself mentally.

"I guess," Tidus said with a smirk. "I mean, he's got more than enough _guys_ in the school questioning their sexuality, too. He's just really good-looking. Has a bit of an attitude, though..." Tidus frowned. "As you yourself just saw."

Sora's expression soured a little. "Mm...well, I hope he cheers up. He seems like he'd be nice if he'd drop the nasty attitude."

"...Let's get in the cage." Tidus suggested.

Sora didn't object.

* * *

The game was split into four quarters, and two halves. Wakka and the Wizards' Captain helped keep track of score and time, and also acted as the game referees. Everyone, including Sora, was wearing goggles and a compact underwater breather that they could strap to their face, and then bite down on the mouth guard inside to let the air flow into their lungs from the water. They could also talk, a little bit, if they so wished, even if it was distorted. 

Sora did pretty good for his first time considering, although he made a couple of mistakes now and then. Every so often those mistakes were because he caught himself looking at Riku—who had, strangely enough, decided to keep his tank top on when he played. And he blushed every time he caught himself looking. Tidus wasn't joking—Sora had a feeling he knew what some of the guys at their school were going through.

At one point during one of the last halves, Riku was in possession of the ball, and he swam like lightning over to one of the boosters Tidus talked about. He touched base with the target, and a powerful spring launched him out of the water like a rocket. The next thing Sora knew, he'd been smacked in the head by a Blitzball spike. Wakka cried out in a distorted gargle and gestured madly to the surface, nearly blowing steam out his ears, and Tidus joined them as Wakka chewed Riku out for a foul—not just for hitting a player, but for hitting one of their _own_ players! But Riku acted like it didn't matter, which only made Wakka more upset. Tidus had to talk some sense into the irritated teen before the three of them dived under again. Tidus spoke through his breather to Sora:

"You all right?"

"I think so." Sora said back, rubbing his head as he waded. "Let's just keep playing."

"I'm sorry about that," Tidus apologized.

Sora frowned. That wasn't right. Riku had attacked players more than once the rest of the game, particularly him, and every single time, it was Tidus who was apologizing for his actions. He didn't like that. Riku should be the one saying he was sorry, not Tidus. So far, he was being proven wrong about Riku's chances of being nice. He was turning out to be a total _jackass_. By the time the game was over, Sora was just as mad at Riku as Riku was at him—even though Sora had more reason to be angry than the other.

"Well, that wasn't a bad game!" Wakka said.

"Yeah. Your newbie did pretty good for his first time." said the Wizards' Captain. "Good game."

"Not bad, Sora!" Tidus patted the brunet's shoulder. Riku glared at them under his towel as he ruffled his hair dry, eyes narrowing.

"Aww, shucks." Sora muttered, smiling shyly. "I tried my best."

"Hey, if you transfer to our school, you could join the team, ya." Wakka offered. "With a little training, you'd be great!"

Sora grinned happily. "Really? I'll think about it!"

"Cool! It'll be fun to have you on our team!" Tidus agreed.

"I think he sucks balls."

_Everyone_ turned and gave Riku a sharp glare. He just smiled haughtily at all of them and relished in the silence he'd created. Tidus finally snapped and threw his towel on the ground, stomping up to him.

"_What_ is your _problem!_ You've been bullying Sora this whole game! You haven't _once_ even thought about playing! You just tried to pummel all the players with the ball! I swear to God, Riku, you've had a roach shoved up your ass since yesterday!"

Riku shrugged, unfazed. "I'm telling it how it is, that's all." he said cooly. "Sora sucks balls."

Sora glared at him. "I'm sorry, isn't that YOUR job?" he snapped.

Now everyone was looking at _Sora._ Some of them even gasped. Tidus' jaw dropped and he paled, looking at the brunet like he'd outright lost his fucking _mind._

_

* * *

_

Riku was pretty damn shocked, as well. He stared incredulously at Sora, blinking in silence, not sure how to respond to that.

Then he glared at him.

_You little SHIT._

He walked up to Sora and stood towering over him by what six inches or so of height he had over the brunet, leering at him like Death. "You've got some nerve talking back to me, you little _twat._"

"I could say the same about you, dickhead!" Sora snarled. "You know, I thought you were supposed to be nice, but you're nothing but a jackass!"

"You _ruined_ me yesterday!" Riku screamed, his eyes full of hate. Sora coiled back, ocean-colored orbs wide.

"_ME?_ I never even KNEW you until today! You're _crazy!"_

Riku went from angered to enraged. "You smart-mouthed little man-bitch! I'll rip off your fucking _scalp!"_

Sora flipped up his middle finger. "Try it, Townie, I'll rip you a new asshole!"

Riku's eyes turned to the size of dots and his scowl was as deep as it had ever been. Before Sora could blink, the sound of a slap was heard resonating in the air, and Sora stumbled backwards with a red mark on his face, Riku's hand held high up in the air. He'd backhanded the brunet. But he moved to do a hell of a lot more than that when Sora put up his fists to defend himself.

"Hey, hey, HEY!" Tidus lunged and wrapped his arms around Riku's underarms, restraining him. Riku fought against Tidus' grasp. Despite their difference in height, Tidus had plenty of strength to speak of. "Riku, _knock it off!"_

"Let me at the little shit! I'll tear off his God damn nads!" Half the group circled around or got behind Sora, glaring at him, and Wakka yanked him back by his torso, helping Tidus to hold him back. Sora licked his lips and tasted blood. He wiped a trail of it off the corner of his mouth, staring at his hand in shock. He couldn't believe the other had hit him that hard. _What the fuck had HE ever done to HIM?_

"Riku, if you don't cut this out, I'm going to kick your ass myself!" Tidus snapped. "Adjust your fucking attitude! I swear I'll call your father!"

Riku stopped on a dime. He whirled his head around and glared at Tidus, stunned. Or scared.

Everyone waited with readied fists and angry stares for Riku to back down. When he was still for more than a minute, Wakka and Tidus slowly backed off. The teen turned slowly to fix his eyes on Sora, narrowing them with a deep-set look of vengeance on his face.

"You make my skin crawl," he snarled. "I _HATE_ you."

As Riku stormed off with that sentence, Sora bore holes into his back. "Right. FUCK YOU TOO!" he shouted. Riku ignored him.

When everything had settled down, everybody tried to change the subject and talk about something else. Just to try and blow it over. Sora's mood was now officially worsened for the day. He didn't even need Selphie to ruin it...Riku had done worse damage than his kid sister ever could have done.

Of course, Selphie was present when this fight occurred, and she walked up to Sora looking very, very scared.

"Sora? You're bleeding..." she pointed to the corner of his mouth. Sora looked down, and wiped the blood away, smiling.

"I'm okay, Selph. I promise. I'm lucky that's _all_ he did."

"God damn right you are," Tidus grumbled. "What the hell were you thinking, picking a bone with him like that? I warned you he was in a bad mood!"

Sora now hissed at Tidus, "That's no excuse to take it out on me! If he wants to make it up to me, he can apologize for everything he did! And you should stop doing that in his place!"

Selphie hugged Sora's waist without a word as Tidus mumbled something under his breath. Admittedly, Sora was right. And he knew it. But he just couldn't stop sticking up for Riku, even if he _did_ seem a little crazy like just now...

Sora hugged his little sister and ruffled her hair, saying gently: "Selphie?"

"Yeah?"

"We both agree that you never heard me or any of my friends saying all those nasty bad words, right?"

Selphie nodded after a second's pause.

Sora kissed her head. "Good."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I hope everyone realizes why Riku's such a twisted little prick. Again, getting treated the way he has can fuck you up pretty good if you endure it long enough. 

Personally, my favorite part was making Sora snap back at him. I loved writing that so much I got distracted from role-playing with a friend on MSN chat for like, fifteen minutes. She had to _Nudge!_me to get my attention.


	6. Ch 6: He Who Wears A Mask

**Author's Notes: **Well, these next two chapters are short ones as well, hence why they're up in the same day.

My God, I'm finishing this thing at lightning speed. I think I might need a slight bit of a break during the next chapter to actually think of what I can do.

Happy reading, folks...Hope the suspense isn't killing you too much!

* * *

Chapter 6

_"He Who Wears A Mask"_

"Sora?" Lisa's eyes widened and her teacup clattered to the counter. "Jesus, Mary and Joseph! What happened to your _face!_"

Sora again regretted Riku's show of strength. Not only was his lip busted open, but his face had a nice little bruise right at the corner of his mouth, and his cheek was red.

"I'm fine, Mom," he said reassuringly. "One of the neighbor kids decided they didn't like me very much."

Lisa scowled. "And they have the nerve to lay a hand on MY Sora?" she demanded. "What else did he do to you? What's his name? I have a phone book!"

"No, Mom!" Selphie cried it before Sora did. She kicked her flip-flops off at the door, looking up guiltily.

"And why in the good Lord's name _not!_" Lisa whirled around. "John? JOHN! Find my First Aid Kit—please!"

* * *

Within minutes, Sora's mother was treating his face with medicine and gauze, giving it a cold pack to help with the swelling when she was done with that. Sora sat down on the couch with here in their new living room, applying a plastic bag of ice wrapped in paper towels to his bruised cheek. 

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry." Lisa cooed. She grit her teeth. "I swear, if he hurts you again...!"

"Mom, it's not a lawsuit issue. Really. I think maybe he's just the kind that forgot to take their load of meds in the morning." Sora took a deep breath and sighed. Well, for now, that did seem to be the case. He wondered why Riku had acted so angrily towards him? He lashed out—and Sora couldn't understand why. He suddenly remembered what Tidus had said: _"He's like that with all the new neighbors."_

Sora shuddered. Boy, did he feel sorry for _them_.

His mother sighed, also. "Selphie wasn't hurt, was she?"

"No, Mom. Selphie was on the sidelines with her friend."

"Well, that's good, at least." Lisa suddenly stopped, then leered at Sora. "Wait, but did you say anything...?"

Sora rolled his eyes. "If I did, she didn't hear it. I promise." A little white lie to squeak the story by. It wouldn't hurt this time. Whatever would put his mother at ease—he didn't want this turning into some freakshow court case.

Earlier, when Sora and Tidus were walking home, Tidus tried to make up for Riku's behavior without sounding like he was apologizing. Sora didn't appreciate it, but he did listen to what Tidus had to say. Especially at a few key points that just made him more confused—or was intrigued a better word?

"Look, Sora," Tidus explained, "Riku's...a little...off, sometimes. Edea adopted me when I was twelve years old, and that's when I moved in here. I remember I only ever saw his face once or twice. And I hung out with him once during the summer I moved in. After that, he practically vanished until school started. He always looked really desperate for something. If anything, I think all he's ever wanted is a little attention."

Sora had coiled back and given Tidus an off-handed glance. "Does _my face_ look like a cry for attention to you?" he growled.

"Th...That's different..." Tidus fell silent before rephrasing his words. "What I'm trying to say is, he's obviously got something going on in his life that's making him this way, but I've seen another side of him before. I only ever saw it a few times, but I know it's there...it's just...buried, I guess."

At that point in the conversation, Tidus got a sudden flash of deep, genuine concern on his face, and it was at that very moment that Sora changed the subject.

Another side of Riku, huh?

"Hey, Mom?"

"Yeah, honey?"

Sora pressed the cold pack less severely to his cheek as he spoke. "What's the worst thing that's ever happened to you in your entire life? I mean, like, the _worst_ thing ever. So bad it made you cry. A lot."

Lisa paused for a long while. That was certainly some food for thought.

"Hmmmm..." she locked eyes with her son, brushing bouncy brown curls behind her shoulder. "Well, sweetie, when I was a little girl, a bit younger than you, a mean young man tried to hurt me."

Sora had never heard this before. Naturally, he was curious. "Hurt you how?" he asked.

Lisa considered how she should word this. But after a moment, she remembered that her son wasn't eight years old anymore.

"Well, he...tried to rape me."

"That's _terrible!_" Sora cried. "Who would do that to you, Mom?"

"His name was Jason." His mother answered. "He wasn't a very pleasant boy in school. He always started fights and played lots of mean pranks. He asked me out on a date once, and, well...I refused. He didn't take it very lightly."

Sora frowned. "I'm sorry, Mom." he said quietly. Lisa hugged her son, and Sora hugged her back.

"It's okay, sweetie. It was almost thirty years ago. I'm long since over it."

Inside his head, Sora tried to think about that possibility. Hmmm. ..._No, scratch that theory,_ he thought. There was no way...not once had he ever heard about a _boy_ being raped. He knew plenty about girls being violated—Kairi told him stories from her hometown about how dangerous it was in her neighborhood—but a boy? Never. He doubted it was even possible.

Well, if Riku wasn't raped, then what? Tidus said something had happened to make him nasty...maybe he'd lost his mother, or something. Oh well; Sora shook it from his thoughts. It wasn't his business, and it wouldn't do him nor Riku any good to dwell on it.


	7. Ch 7: The Foster Bond

Chapter 7

_"The Foster Bond"_

7-6-6 – 4-3-5 – 8-6-8-9.

_Click._

_"You've reached the Atercor Residence. This is Ansem Atercor. Leave a message after you hear the tone and I'll reach you as soon as possible."_

_Beeeep._

_"Riku? It's Tidus... Listen...about today...I... ...(sigh)... ...Are things going on okay at home? I've never _seen_ you so mad. ...Anyway...if there's anything you need, you know where to ring me._

_...Talk to me, man. Please."_

_Click._

_Beeeep._

_Click._

_**+You have one new message.+**_

_Beeeep._

_"Riku? It's Tidus..."_

_

* * *

_

**Thirty Minutes Later**

7-6-6 – 2-2-9 – 8-8-5-0.

_Click._

"Hello?"

"(sniff) (gulp) _WHERE'S TIDUS!_"

"He—He's in the shower...I'm sorry, who is this? I'm his mother."

"(scoff) You're not his mother—(gulp)—and you never _will_ be!"

"_Excuse me?_"

"Tell Tidus that I told him to NEVER FUCKING CALL ME AGAIN!"

"Who _is_ this!"

_Click._

Edea stared skeptically at the phone, and slowly hung it up on the receiver, her glossy black hair pulled back in a bun, her reading glasses resting on her nose. What a disturbing phone call! For all she could tell, it sounded like a death threat!

Her fostered, sandy-blond-haired son came tapping down the stairs in bare, damp feet, a towel wrapped around his waist, another ruffling his hair dry.

"Who was that, Mom?"

"I...think it was your friend..."

Tidus' eyes sparked. "You mean Riku?" he asked, his voice full of hope. Finally, some answers! He rushed for the phone. "Why the hell did you hang up? I wanted to talk to him!"

"No, don't—_Tidus!_" Edea quickly laid her hand over her son's when Tidus touched the phone and shoved it onto the receiver with a clang. Tidus looked up with stunned blue orbs, his brow creasing.

"_Edea!_"

Edea swallowed a fearful lump in her throat, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths. She loosened her grip on the phone, realizing she was bleaching her knuckles white from the pressure.

"...Tidus," she said slowly, "I don't want you talking to Riku right now."

Tidus looked hurt. "_Why?_ What did he say?"

"He said something about never to call him again." Edea murmured, "Tidus, I want you to take his advice. He sounded very...unstable."

"_Unstable?_" he snorted. "Unstable! You said that _I_ was unstable when _I_ moved in because _I_ always came home crying when the kids called me names!"

Edea's violet orbs narrowed in concern. "Tidus, trust me, Riku was _very_ distraught just now. He sounded furious. He doesn't want you calling him, and frankly, after hearing him over the phone, neither do I."

Tidus' eyes shrank and he swallowed hard. Naturally, the incident earlier had made him feel worse, but he'd never heard something like this from Edea, and the only thing his mind told him that he could do logically was to lash out. He clenched and unclenched his fists, gritting his teeth. How could Edea _say_ that about Riku? It wasn't fair! Riku was a good person, he knew it! He was just hard to understand, that's all! He _understood_...he was the only one who _could!_

"Unstable," hissed Tidus. " 'Not well.' 'Not wanted.' 'Too expensive.' 'Too rowdy.' 'Not _mine._' "

Edea put her hands on his shoulders comfortingly. "Tidus..."

"_Don't!_" he snapped, jerking away from Edea, leering at her. "I know what this is! You're just like all the other so-called _parents_ I've had! Every time something goes wrong, you act like it's _my_ fault! _My_ problem! _MY_ mistake!" His knuckles were white now. "I know that he's not perfect! I've seen him, Edea! But he's better than that! You don't understand! _None of you ever __**understand!** We're not **F-Children!**__We're not __**failures!** It's **not our fault!" **_He turned and ran back upstairs.

"Tidus, please!"

The door slammed shut behind him. _KEEP OUT,_ read the glaring sign hanging on the knob.


	8. Ch 8: Crossed Out Heart

**Author's Notes:** Phew! This is the longest chapter I've written so far - Ironically, it is only as such by about a page and a paragraph. But it's still the longest!

Thanks everyone for your reviews while I worked. I'm sure you didn't have to wait to long for this. Now...my favorite part...the first bit from Riku's POV in this chapter. I am going to be expecting myself to write more of this. And the hard part about it is, I'm supposed to be writing stuff that really does sound this sick, and it makes ME feel sick to write it. So I hope the horrors of Riku's life with Ansem are made clearer the more we go along.

Anyway, enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

Chapter 8

_"Crossed-Out Heart"_

Monday.

One day...one glorious, sex-free day. Ruined. He fucking loved yesterday...except for running into that damned new kid, Sora. Riku hissed as he applied his black eyeliner. _That little shit was the one who got me raped on Saturday,_ he snarled. _And the fucking prick had the nerve to snap at me! If he transfers to my school..._

Riku hissed again. Yes, if Sora transferred, he would do bad things to him, very bad things indeed. Riku clenched his fist and let it untense itself as the images ran through his mind, and helped him relax. With Metallica blaring out of the speakers in his "Good Boy Room," he took his time getting ready for the day. Ansem wouldn't care. He could take as long as he liked. Metallica was his "Boundary" music. As long as it kept playing, Ansem would leave him alone.

But he knew exactly where Ansem was, though. Right outside the threshold. Just beyond that door. Waiting for there not to be an umpteenth song. But this didn't bother Riku.

When he was finished, he was decked in all black, wearing tight jeans with a certain sheen to them, and a studded collar and belt, matching bracelets, as well as those rainbow ones. Most of them were black. Ansem most certainly believed in what those rainbow bracelets stood for; he was going to use them later tonight. Riku's shirt had a sketchy-looking skull on it, and he wore mesh sleeves underneath. His hair and skin were the only pale features about him, his hair loose, his eyes made bolder by the thick black eyeliner and mascara, his lips painted a deathly purple. His boots made him six feet tall, easily, with multiple buckles.

Ansem always picked his clothes. The clothes were important. Later Ansem would use them as a part of his theme. Today, apparently, it was Goth. Sometimes Ansem did something crazy with him, and sometimes he didn't. One time, when he was fourteen, he'd tried to get Riku to go to school dressed like a girl. Riku screamed, wailed, and fussed, and Ansem raped him until he bled, but the battle to not wear that horrible skimpy pink dress took up the entire school day. By the time 3:30 drew nigh, Ansem never made Riku wear girl's clothes again. He'd paid for that defiance in blood, bruises and tears, but he'd _won_. That was one of the few rare moments in his life with Ansem where Riku was actually _proud_ of himself. _He won that fight._ And as an added bonus, Ansem had backed himself into a corner. Riku was practically showered in bruises and blood. Surely, he couldn't send his foster child to school looking like he actually _had_ been raped. Riku missed two weeks for that; it was the longest break from sex he'd ever had. It was the _only_ break from sex he'd ever had.

Sadly, for him, there was no winning now. Back then, Riku had hope. Now he had nothing.

Riku stared at himself in the bathroom mirror, looking himself up and down.

_Tidus._

_Fucking TIDUS._

Riku's fist became so tight that he snapped the eyeshadow compact in his hand in half.

_You got me raped on __**Sunday,** you fucker! My reprieval! My CHANCE!_

_You **betrayed** me!_

His lips peeled back to bare white teeth and he snarled. _He'd told him not to call!_ But NO, the little fucker _had_ to go and get worried about him, _had_ to pick up the phone, _had_ to dial HIS number...

And Ansem just _had_ to check the messages.

Finally, the last song on the CD came to an end. There was a ten second's pause, and then the doorknob turned slowly, and Ansem walked into the room, still wearing his scarlet bathrobe, encircling his arms around Riku's waist.

"Did you learn your lesson yesterday?" he purred.

Riku barely heard him. His mind wandered off—his eyes fixed on the scarlet robe behind him. Red.

"Mmm," he grunted. Ansem leaned down, rubbing Riku's stomach, and nibbled his ear.

"Speak up for these old ears," he whispered. Riku sighed pleasurably, just to make Ansem happy. His stomach was sensitive, anyway.

"Yes, sir."

"Good," Ansem praised. "We won't have a repeat of such an incident, will we?"

Riku's eyes were still fixed on his foster father's robe. _No,_ he thought, _we won't._ Riku grit his teeth. _Tidus Heartilly, you are going to regret you ever met me._ As Riku's mind wandered, thoughts of pain filling his senses, the face behind him grew cuts and bruises, and Riku could imagine the reddest, deepest slash across Ansem's throat that the world ever did see. He could picture it cutting right through that sickening flesh to the bone, and then he would snap them in half, and he'd throw Ansem's head in the trash, his body covered in red like it was now. Wearing his own blood like a robe. It was a perfect death for him. Like all the others, it was only in his darkest fantasies, and it sent a chilling thrill down his spine.

"You're thinking about me already," Ansem purred, patting Riku's groin. Riku grit his teeth. Ansem had trained him far too well. Anything about him translated into arousal, just for the sake of survival. This house, this man, had cursed him.

"Do you not want me to?" Riku asked, not caring whether or not the answer was a no.

"You know I'm flattered," Ansem said in his ear, "But I would be much happier if you saved it for dinner."

Riku shuddered, but still he whispered, "Yes sir."

Ansem smiled wickedly and stared at the image of them in the mirror. He felt sick. Ansem was already thinking about him, too.

"What are you, Riku?"

Riku's voice choked in his throat. He knew that question.

"I can't hear you…"

He closed his eyes, so he wouldn't see himself say it; and he numbed his ears in his brain, so he wouldn't hear himself say it. Then he opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm a bad boy."

The routine was set. Today, he would be a "Bad Boy."

* * *

Sora was waiting with Tidus at the bus stop, even though he wasn't ready to transfer to Besaid High just yet. He was just keeping the blond some company, since the bus appeared to be a little late.

"So, what's the school like here?" he asked. His face was still a little black and blue on one side from Riku's slap, but it wasn't swollen. Tidus and Sora both took the liberty to ignore it.

"Most of the kids are friendly. Some of the teachers are pricks, but it's an all-around generous and nice school. You get settled in pretty quick there. There's this one teacher of mine, my English teacher, and I think he's the coolest one I've ever had."

"It sounds like fun," Sora commented. Tidus nodded, a smile on his face. His eyes were a little red from crying last night and this morning, but earlier during breakfast, he'd walked up to Edea, and they kissed each other on the cheek and made up. He was thoroughly sorry for the temper tantrum he'd thrown. He knew Edea meant well. She was a very good mother.

"It's very comfortable. This town is that nice little medium between being way too ghetto and way too rich. Everybody's homey and the community's great."

Sora laughed. "You make it sound so _perfect_," he teased, nudging Tidus in the shoulder. Tidus blushed a little.

"Well, to me, maybe it is." He said. "I've lived in a lot of different neighborhoods, but this is the best one I've had. I really do love it here." He shaded his eyes from the sun, wearing a white t-shirt under a sunny yellow vest to match his hair and blue cargo jeans that cut off at the knees. Plain sandals with blue straps were on his feet. Sora, in comparison, was still only wearing his red cotton pajamas.

"Sora, why do you have to stand with me in your jammies? You look like a dork."

"I like my jammies!" Sora groaned. "And I'm lazy. I'll go back inside in a few minutes, anyway. My house is like, right there." He gestured to it a few houses behind them on the left. Tidus snickered and shook his head.

"I guess so."

The sound of wheels on concrete approached them, and soon a very familiar sunny-haired blond was skateboarding up to the bus stop, wearing a black shirt under a white jacket with a checkered stripe across the chest and sleeves. His pants looked like they had come as black, but that he'd bulleted an overlapping white layer to them. Sora looked Roxas up and down and bit his tongue in his mouth, to keep himself from saying something embarrassing like he'd done with Riku.

"Roxas, look at you!" Tidus snickered. "It's so _retro_."

"It is _not_. You're a loser in fashion, Tidus." Roxas stopped his skateboard, and then he laughed. "And Sora's still in his _pa_ja…mas…whoa, what happened to your _face?_"

Sora covered up the bruise with his hand, groaning.

"Riku slapped him." Tidus filled in. Roxas stared at Sora in bewilderment.

"_Slapped?_ He looks like he tried to feed you a knuckle sandwich!"

"It was backhanded." Tidus said with a shrug, "Besides, you know Riku. Any sort of physical contact, and you usually go home with a bruise _somewhere_ on your body."

Roxas wondered, "Sora tried to touch him? What, did you try to grab his thingie?"

Sora growled. "I'm _straight_, Roxas!"

The blond laughed. "After seeing _Riku_, are you really so sure?"

"Roxas! Don't do that!" Tidus scolded him.

"Let's put it this way," interjected Sora, putting his hand down to reveal the bruise on his face, "I don't appreciate people who just walk up to me and _smack_ me out of the middle of nowhere!"

Roxas held his skateboard in front of him, frowning. "Hmmm, good point." He agreed. "Tch. Damn…not even here a week, and Riku's already got a beef with you. You'd better watch your back, man. He's not the kinda guy you wanna piss off."

"Gee, thanks for not telling me sooner," Sora grumbled.

Roxas suddenly got a very big grin on his face. "Well, I'm sorry—I didn't know Riku was going to _slap you around!_"

Tidus and Sora groaned in unison.

"Oh God…bad pun…it burns!" Tidus pretended to tear out his hair and be in agony, writhing where he stood.

"Get it? Slap? Right? Riiight?"

"Where did you get that one, a cereal box?" laughed Sora.

"Oh, God, no, he makes these up on his _own_. It's even scarier than cereal boxes!" Roxas was laughing now, truly amused at the reaction he'd mustered out of Tidus and his new friend.

"Where's the bus, though?" he wondered. "It's kinda late today."

"It's a Monday," Tidus dismissed. "Maybe the driver slept in or something."

Sora clasped his hands together in mock prayer. " 'Please, please let it be a holiday!' " He moaned, mimicking a supposedly tired and desperate bus driver. A red family-sized Sedan came driving up past them at a reasonable neighborhood speed limit, and Sora froze when he saw who was in the car. Riku was in the back seat.

"Hey, look who it is." Roxas mumbled. "Boy, look at that get-up! He looks like a frickin' Emo from those teen horror movies."

Tidus said nothing. He swallowed a lump in his throat when Riku locked eyes with him. Riku looked like he could peel paint from a thousand yards with that glare. Was he mad at him?

"Where's your bus, boys?" asked the driver, rolling down the passenger window. Tidus broke stares with Riku and smiled at his foster father.

"It's a little late today."

"Do you want a ride? There's plenty of room for you three." The dark-skinned man's hazel eyes glanced Sora up and down. Sora shifted; there was something invasive about that stare. He didn't like it.

"Is it Pajama Day already?"

"Sora's not transferred yet," Roxas replied. "Careful, he'll fall asleep where he stands!"

"I will not!" Sora groaned. He leaned over to Roxas discreetly as the man talked to them. "Who's that?" he whispered.

"That's Ansem Atercor, Riku's foster dad." Murmured Roxas. "He's a big recluse, just like Riku. He writes books for a hobby, but his job is being an editor for the paper."

Sora frowned as he looked at Ansem, then at Riku. Riku caught him and fixed him there, giving him a look like he was going to claw his way into Sora's soul, then rip it out and eat it. Sora frantically jerked his eyes back to Ansem again.

"Why is Riku in the back seat?"

"He's just weird." Roxas shrugged. "He doesn't get along with Ansem very well. I think he tolerates him, but that's pretty much the extent of their relationship." Roxas dropped his voice lower. "Maybe Riku never got over losing his real family."

"Young man—Sora, isn't it?"

"Uh…" Sora blinked, looking at Ansem. "Y-Yes sir?"

"What happened to your face? That's a pretty bad bruise you've got."

Tidus happened to be looking in the back seat, and he saw a flash of sudden fear in Riku's face, before the teen's heavily-shadowed carribean eyes snapped forward to attention, still the size of saucer cups. He frowned; Riku seemed like the type that wasn't scared of anything. So why was he acting like he'd been caught eating from the cookie jar?

"I got in a fight," Sora said passively. "It's no big deal."

"Who hit you?" asked Ansem.

Sora's lips creased down. He felt Riku giving him that soul-eating glare again, saying he'd _damn well_ better _not_ rat him out, and Roxas' words replayed in his mind.

"It was during a Blitzball game," Sora lied. "I, uh…I wasn't paying attention, and I got a spike in the face."

"I see." Ansem glanced over his seat. "Well, Riku here plays Blitzball…"

Sora didn't miss that look. It was the third one Riku gave to him. The difference this time was that Riku wasn't just going to eat his soul, he was going to slit his throat, mince him, and turn him into a plate of Sloppy Joes. _**What** have I done to you, Riku!_ He cried in his mind. _I hardly even **know** you!_

"Well, I hope your face heals up." Ansem said. "I'm sorry you got into a fight when you just moved here. Maybe you'll make some better friends next time."

"Oh, I already have." Sora smiled and hung his arms on Tidus and Roxas' shoulders. "These guys have been really nice to me!"

Ansem laughed. "Splendid, I hope you enjoy your move in. You have a nice day, you three."

"Bye, Mr. A!" Roxas waved. The back window rolled down—the one on Riku's side, closest to them. Tidus gulped when Riku shot him a look of death again. He was _really_ sour today. Worse than yesterday. Not good.

"See you at school, Tidus." Riku didn't even look at him as he said it. Instead, he leered at Tidus from the corners of his black-shadowed eyes, his teeth clenched tight behind pursed Elvyra lips. Tidus withered inside when he heard that tone—Riku sounded really _mad_ at him! In hindsight, he was very glad now that Edea had told him not to phone back. Something told him he would have gotten a bucket of hot air and one deaf ear over the phone.

_But…all I did was call!_

As Ansem drove Riku away to the school, Sora shuddered and rubbed the goosebumps out of his arms. Roxas sighed and sulked his shoulders.

"Gaaaaawwwwd!" He exclaimed. "_He_ is just one big bucket of flowers and sunshine today!"

"He's weirder than usual…" said Tidus. Roxas glanced at him and snorted.

" 'Usual'? Since when has Riku ever been 'usual'?"

"No, I mean…" Tidus shook his head, glancing at Roxas. "Didn't you see him when they mentioned Sora's bruise? It's like he was _praying_ for Sora to lie."

"I would too," Sora said matter-of-factly. "If _my_ dad found out I'd hit someone that hard, _I'd_ be grounded for a whole month!"

Tidus still didn't appear satisfied with that answer. "I guess so," was his noncommittal response.

Roxas patted Tidus' shoulder. "Don't worry so much. When you get old, it'll give you wrinkles, and then you won't get all the ladies."

* * *

12:10 P.M. was third-period English for Tidus. He twisted and weaved his way through the bustling halls, various Blitzball posters tacked to the bulletin boards as he passed them. At the moment, they only seemed to serve as reminders of the incident yesterday afternoon, which he tried to forget about by concentrating in class. It wouldn't be so difficult to do that in English. His teacher was, after all, the super-awesomest teacher in the school, Axel Slyver.

As Tidus sat down in his seat, having arrived early, he dropped his backpack by his desk and crossed his arms, staring ahead of him. For some reason, Riku was really bugging him! He'd tried to talk to him in first period several times, but Riku's only response was to just glare at him and then turn away. What was wrong with him? Things had never been this bad between them—sure, they had arguments, but they always blew over, and they always defended each other. They were close. Or, at least, Tidus _thought_ that's how they were.

He felt a piece of chalk hit him in the head. Snapped out of his reverie, Tidus glanced up to see his teacher leaning on his desk.

"What's wrong, kid?"

"Ugh…nothing."

"That sure didn't _sound_ like a nothing." Axel cast him a sideways glance. "You planning to skip my class?"

Tidus laughed. "Nobody skips your class, Mr. Slyver. I think you're too cool for that."

"Oh, that's right, my Popularity Factor." Axel grinned. "And I thought I was the only one who thought I was cool."

Tidus shook his head. Axel was a little big-headed, but he was still a fun teacher. Everyone thought so. He always had stories to share—like how he'd taken classes in martial arts, and still did. One time he even brought in a pair of weapons (he was lucky he didn't get caught with them and fired) that he called "Chakra Wheels," and the whole class had ooh'd and ahh'd over them for a half an hour.

"Seriously, though, you look like you're worried about something. You want to talk about it before the crowd thickens in here?"

Tidus shook his head. "No…thanks, though. It's a friend thing…"

Axel pursed his lips. "Hmm. Is it that Riku kid?"

It never took any brains to figure that out. Tidus only had a few close friends, and Riku was one of them—he was always in his biggest slumps when Riku was upset with him. They were glued at the hip. Tidus nodded.

"Ah, well…I'll leave it alone, then. There's not much you can do with that one." Axel shook his head. "Do you know, Tidus, that you're probably the only friend he has in this whole school?"

Tidus nodded again.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure he'll get lonely, and sure enough, he'll make up with you. He doesn't seem like the type to stay mad for very long." Axel paused, tapping his chin. "Although he _is_ rather hard to read. I could be wrong."

"Thank you," Tidus said, dropping the subject. He laid his head down on his desk to take a mental break as the other students filed in.

As usual, the class was fun and interactive, just like most of Axel's classes were. They were still reading Edgar Allen Poe's short stories. Today, they read _The Tell-Tale Heart._ Most of the students ended up commenting on how crazy the main character was or how disturbing Poe's fictions really were. All Tidus could think to say (to Alice on the Besaid Raiders, who sat next to him) was, "This sounds like the kind of stuff Riku might read."

"You've really got Riku on the brain today," Alice said. "Is something wrong? Did you guys have a tiff again?"

Tidus frowned. "I'm not sure. He's just been giving me dirty looks all day…"

Alice grinned. "Oooh, dirty…"

Tidus groaned. "Not _that_ kind of dirty, Alice. I don't think Riku's ever had those kinds of thoughts about me."

"You don't know that. You can't read minds."

"I can read _yours_," Tidus retorted, smiling haughtily. Alice stood up straight.

"Fine, what am I thinking?"

Without missing a beat, Tidus replied: "You're thinking that Roxas is the sweetest, sexiest boyfriend you've ever had."

"He's the _only_ boyfriend I've ever had," Alice giggled.

"And therefore I must be right!"

"Okay, fine. You were right. Roxas is very sweet, and he's _veeery_ sexy."

"Hey, how was your movie date yesterday...?"

* * *

Nope. Despite all his troubles to let his mind rest, he couldn't stop thinking about Riku. After the bell rang for school to get out, Tidus packed up in Art class and got up to leave. As he walked, he stuck the earbuds of his iPod in his ears, and cranked up the volume to hear his music over the dull, rising roar of the students as they filed out into the halls and began to open and slam shut their lockers, chatting.

* * *

Riku stalked the sandy-haired blond from the shadows, leering with carribean eyes under shadows of silver, blue-green orbs shadowed heavily in black. He bit his darkened lip hard, just beyond the threshold of bleeding, and clenched his fists in the pockets of his tight black jeans. With nobody paying attention to him, he got up and followed Tidus from about eight feet away, tracing his footsteps to go outside. On the side of the school where the buses came to pick up the students, he grit his teeth behind pursed lips.

Scare him—that's what he'd do. Scare the shit out of him. After all, it's what Tidus deserved, for ruining his chance at the first break in three years, even if it was just for a day. Stupid Tidus. Stupid Ansem. Stupid phone.

_I hate you, too, Tidus,_ he thought. _I hate you for calling me...for ruining my hard work...I took a double-dose that night! I put up with that bastard's bullshit __**twice,** and you destroyed it! I hate you so much I could just...!_

Riku hissed, pulling out a white-knuckled fist. He knew what he could do, and he would. He stormed over to the blond now, who was talking with Wakka and some of the other Blitzball players. Wakka's eyes widened when they spotted him, and Riku didn't stop.

_Get the __**fuck** out of my way, Carrot-top._ He snarled in his mind.

Wakka shouted something that was a blur in Riku's ears, and he drew back his fist. Tidus turned around and ran straight into its oncoming blow.

* * *

His iPod dropped from his hand, the earbuds torn out of his ears. Tidus' face suddenly stung from the impact, a deep, hard throbbing in his cheek. He looked at Riku in shock, his eyes twice their normal size. Everything inside him froze. Did Riku just _punch_ him?

"What the hell just happened!" Wakka cried. "Riku, you jackass! What'd you punch Tidus for, ya!"

Wakka's response was a hard shove out of the teen's way, his chest jabbed by Riku's elbow. "Shut the fuck up, you dumbass islander!"

"HEY!"

Tidus recovered from the blow quickly. "Riku, what the hell is wrong with you!"

"_You're_ what's wrong with me!" Riku snapped, advancing again. Tidus' eyes widened once more and he just barely ducked out of the way of another punch to his head, but he didn't see the second one going for his gut. He doubled over as a result. By this point, everyone present outside had turned to ice and was watching with horror, but a twisted sense of anticipation. Of course, nobody would do anything to stop him. Riku was the Juggernaut. Once he got started, he never stopped. And it was a real pain in the ass to take off his helmet.

"You little fucking prick! Didn't I tell you not to fucking call!"

"WHAT?" Tidus gasped, catching his breath and glancing up only to meet with another punch to his face. He stumbled backwards and landed on his butt, and dropped the weight of his backpack, hurriedly shrugging it off his shoulders as he dodged a heel-kick to his shoulder. He got back up again. He could already hear the crowd's demand rising like a chant: "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" It only served to fuel the one-time Gothic's rage.

But how the hell was he supposed to fight _Riku?_ He didn't even know why he was being attacked!_ Why is he so pissed off about my phone call!_

"Riku, stop! What's going on with you? For God's sake, just _talk!_"

Riku cracked the knuckles on his fists. "Too fucking late for that, _assface_. I worked my ass off to make it come through, and you had to fuck me over with your stupid concerns! _I told you I can take care of myself!_"

"Riku, stop!" Tidus pleaded. "You're not making any sense!"

Wakka stepped in front and blocked one of Riku's punches, and Riku snarled and grabbed the Blitzer's blocking hand, reeled him in, and smashed his forehead into Wakka's. Wakka was out in a daze on the ground, but Riku survived it, despite the ringing in his ears and the trickle of blood staining the perfect silvery color of his hair. Tidus gasped and backed away, his fists tightening as an instinctive defense.

"Riku...please! I thought I was your friend!"

"You _were_ my friend," Riku hissed, grabbing Tidus' neck and cutting off his air supply. He actually managed to lift Tidus off the ground by a few spare inches, and he snarled with hateful eyes, "You stay the fuck away from me, if you know what's good for you."

By now the crowd actually started to get worried. Yes, _now_ they got worried, good Heavens, now that Tidus' _life_ was actually in danger—splendid! Tidus clawed and pried at Riku's grip, gasping for air. He was terrified. Riku had never attacked him, let alone tried to _kill_ him!

Then, a blessing.

* * *

Riku's hand was torn away from Tidus' frail neck when someone charged him, someone taller than he, and he suddenly found himself being forced to run straight into the side of a bus. He connected with the yellow-painted steel with a _BANG,_ his face pressed against it, and he ripped out of this person's grip, whirling around to punch him.

Axel caught that attack and sedated him with a knee to his balls. Riku inhaled sharply and doubled over, dropping to the ground with his hands covering his groin, which was throbbing in pain. He bit his lip, and the Juggernaut was silenced.

_Fuck,_ he grumbled, _Fuck, fuck, __**fuck!**_ He looked up at the redheaded English teacher with a menacing glare, and Axel just cracked his knuckles and pointed at him.

"You stay _right there,_ or I swear to God I'll shove you under that bus, and run you right over."

Riku just hissed and stayed put. He didn't have a choice—and frankly, he didn't feel like it. He was more concerned about covering the state of his hardening arousal. Pain. Pain meant sex. And sex would be coming very soon after.

He just wished that Axel hadn't chosen to hit him in the place where his pain was most susceptible.

He watched Axel pick Tidus and Wakka up on their feet, and demand to know "Why the fuck didn't you dumbass teachers do something to stop him!" And wave frantically in Riku's direction. He met eyes with Tidus' swelling face, which stared at him in absolute bewilderment. Riku just hung his head, the reality sinking in.

_I got carried away,_ he thought. _You dumbass, Riku! You're supposed to save that for HIM. Yes. Keep the killing in mind for HIM. You were only supposed to SCARE Tidus. Scare him..._

Riku kept one hand shielding his groin, his legs tightly shut, and put one palm over the crossed-out heart on his chest, beneath his shirt. He grit his teeth angrily. One day, he would get that fucking curse removed. One day. Even if it took him until he was thirty.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Well, as you can see, Axel will be carrying out his wicked-awesomeness from the shadows, just to make up for the fact that I've made him a freaking ENGLISH TEACHER. (sigh) It's not my fault, okay? I couldn't think of anything else. He _so _doesn't work as a gym teacher. I'll just make him a smartass cool guy and all will be well, in the end, I'm sure... 


	9. Ch 9: A Visit

**Author's Notes: **Well it's a little late, FF.N was having troubles uploading, but I finally got this to work after watching Tristan + Isolde with my mom. So here's the next chapter.

Seriously, I must be doing something right here! This sweetie has almost 50 reviews! WOW! Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support, and please keep it up! I really love writing this, and obviously you guys love reading, so let's see this through to the end!

I guess I forgot to mention it, but I'll list ages so you're not confused, since they're a bit vague. Riku is seventeen, Sora and Tidus are sixteen, and Roxas is fifteen. There, now that we're all clear, we can enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 9

_"A Visit"_

Another boring day in the office. There was nothing much to do at the moment—no new parents coming in for fostering papers, and nobody he needed to visit. So he'd gone home early, just because he really needed some downtime. He was at home now, relaxing in front of his computer. He was twenty-seven years old, but that didn't bar him from talking to a few friends on the Internet. One of his closest ones, in fact, was on right now.

However, Squall only seemed the type to be social online. In the real world, he was quiet, stoic—kind, but not necessarily showing it in his face. He had wide brown spikes that reached to his shoulders, and a long, thin scar on the bridge of his nose from an incident as a child. He'd gotten over it. Squall now made it his job to show children that they could be loved in other homes if theirs didn't want them, or that they could find acceptance in the most unexpected places. And he enjoyed his job. Nobody knew him as Squall, though. He had changed his name when he hit twenty-three—from Squall to Leon.

His fingers made _takka-takka_ sounds on the keyboard as he clicked away, making a reply to his friend. He'd been speaking to this one since about a year ago, and he found he quite liked this man (or at least, he was told it was a man behind the other computer. Always the careful one, Leon took his word for it, but never fully believed it).

**RiddlezindaMiddlez** (_That was his friend_) u have any children?

**GrieversKeepers:** no. I just help them.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **i do too. I adopted a few.

**GrieversKeepers: **good for you.

**GrieversKeepers: **considering what i know about you they must be very happy.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **oh, u dont know me all that well

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **trust me

**RiddlezindaMiddlez:** not many do

Leon frowned. _Takka-takka-takka-takka._

**GrieversKeepers: **and the children?

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **the only ones who know my favorite color is blue

**GrieversKeepers: **ha ha ha. (_He really did smirk that time_) I know you like blue.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **liar, i never told you...

**GrieversKeepers: **your font is blue, Riddlez.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **how observant of you. (_Another smirk earned_)

**GrieversKeepers: **is that a "you don't know just because its blue" or a "damn, he got it right"?

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **lol. I think its a little of both.

Leon had to stop when he heard his phone ringing in the kitchen. Sighing, he typed that he would be right back and then got up to take his eyes away from the computer for a moment, stalking into the other room and picking the cordless phone up off its receiver.

"Hello." His voice was a bit monotonous today, but it was deep and smooth. Many described it as "mysterious".

"Mister Leon?"

He frowned. "This is he." Such a businesslike tone.

"This is Edea Highwind..."

"Ah. Tidus' mother."

"Y...Yes...I apologize if it's late for you, but..." As Edea paused, Leon checked his watch on his wrist. Late? It was five-thirty P.M. "Leon, if your schedule is free, could you come and see us right away? Tidus, he...he's having some issues..."

"_Mooom!_ _I'm_ not the one with issues!"

Leon jerked away from the phone and stared at it. Well, it seems someone was a sneaky little thing, eavesdropping on the conversation like that. Nevertheless, he said calmly:

"Good afternoon to you, too, Tidus."

"Oops. Um, sorry, man. But you know I can't trust Mom with this information."

"Tidus!" cried Edea.

"Well, it's true! You've been lying through your teeth already!" Tidus sighed into the phone. "But yeah, come over ASAP, 'kay? I want to talk to you about it myself."

"Tidus, you can't do this! Let me speak! I'm your mother!"

Leon shook his head. The two of them bickered for a little bit, and he almost disappeared into the background, had he not interjected suddenly.

"It's quite all right, Edea. If Tidus wants to talk to me face-to-face, then I'll give him the opportunity."

"...Well, all right, but I want to be there, too."

"Nooo, Mom, you'll mess it all up."

"_Tidus Heartilly Highwind!_"

"Uh-oh, the Three-Name!" joked Tidus. Half-joked, really.

"Tidus, listen to your mother." Leon warned. The teen just sighed.

"Fine, sorry."

"I apologize, Leon. Just try to be over sometime today."

"Actually, I wasn't doing much just now," Leon said, checking his watch again, "I could come over right away."

"That would be wonderful," Edea sighed. "Thank you."

"Not at all, ma'am." And then he paused, adding, "Tidus, I suppose I'll be seeing you in thirty minutes."

"Cool." Tidus said. "Thanks, Leon."

Leon nodded, but remembered they couldn't hear that. "Until then, Misses Highwind."

The other two on the line said their farewells, and Leon hung up the phone. He returned to the computer fairly quickly, just to say he would be gone.

**GrieversKeepers:** b. sorry, i g2g.

**GrieversKeepers: **last-minute appointment w/ client.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **i understand. c u later.

**GrieversKeepers: **later.

_**(GrieversKeepers **has signed off.)_

_

* * *

_

Tidus sighed as Edea applied another fresh cold pack to his beaten face. And Sora thought _he'd_ been on Riku's bad side—apparently, Tidus had done something even worse than Sora! The sandy-haired blond had swollen red cheeks and a big fat bruise on his upper lip, plus his stomach hurt like Hell.

"Mom, you should have told him to go see _Riku,_ not me."

"Are you nuts? That boy was the one who attacked you!"

Tidus opened his mouth to speak. Edea cut him off:

"And don't tell me that he's any different than I think—I _think_ I know quite well how Riku is by now! I'm not permitting you to go near him as long as he's acting this strangely, do you understand?"

Tidus sulked, sighing.

"No phone calls to his house, no inviting him to your parties, no talking to him at school. Am I clear, Tidus?" Tidus mumbled under his breath, and Edea narrowed her eyes. "I said, _am I clear,_ Tidus?"

"_Yes, ma'am,_" the blond groaned. He hadn't won the first time he'd argued this, so he was giving up by now. He could scream about it until he was blue in the face, but it wouldn't help his argument any.

Edea shook her head and sighed, murmuring under her breath. "Boy rocks back and forth like a ship in a storm. Can't tell how he's going to act, who he's going to punch…_why_ he's allowed to behave like that, I'll never know…"

"Leon's here!" Tidus jumped up then, tearing himself away from Edea's care to pull back the window curtains by the door, watching as a sleek little red Saturn pulled up to the curb. In black designing on the side was a profile of a lion roaring, his mane pulling across the side of the car like flames. It had been Leon's car since he wrecked his first one at twenty because of an accident, and Tidus noticed the brunet took very good care of it. Speaking of Leon, that was who was walking up to their door right now, and Tidus swung it open before he reached it.

"Hi, Leon! Thanks for coming!"

Leon was a little startled when he got a closer look at Tidus' face. "What happened to you?"

"Riku punched me."

Edea frowned. "Punched you? He tried to _choke_ you, Tidus!"

Tidus glared at her. "MOM," he hissed under his breath.

"Choke? Punch? Riku?" Leon already looked concerned. Riku and violent tendencies were not good things to hear in the same sentence. He wasn't around for when Ansem was caring for him—Riku was pretty fight-susceptible when he was assigned to Leon four years ago, when he was thirteen, but he had apparently grown worse as the years passed. Leon couldn't understand what happened to make Riku so wrathful.

But he could _guess_…

Tidus winced as he met eyes with his Foster Agent. "Yyyeaaahh…we got into a fight at school, and…"

Leon crossed his arms. "I hope to God you didn't start it."

"Leon, look at me. Do I _look_ like the kind of kid to start a fight?"

Leon gave Tidus a sideways glance. "I don't know, Tidus. You tried to maul Alex when you were younger…"

"That doesn't count!" Tidus whined. "He started it, and besides, he's a jerk!"

"Whatever," the older man shrugged. "So may I come in…?"

"Sure, sure!" Tidus stepped aside and waved him in. "Get comfy, and let's talk…"

When Leon was briefed by Tidus on what had happened, and the strange things he noticed about Riku that morning, Leon wasn't entirely happy to hear it. He had heard this situation once before, except it was with another kid at Riku's school. It was all exactly the same—the Gothic wear, the cold shoulder attitude, and the sudden assault at the end of the day. Leon remembered it perfectly. (He had a good memory.) This wasn't the first time Riku had repeated incidents, either. He tried to assign Riku to someone else, but Ansem refused to give him up, and it was only once in a while that things got _this_ bad. Sufficed to say, Leon was running on very little evidence that justified pulling Riku out by force.

It bugged him. Much like Ansem did.

Sitting on Edea's couch next to Tidus, Leon put a hand to his forehead. He felt a headache coming on. He needed Aspirin.

"Hey Leon, can I ask you to do something for me?" Tidus asked.

"What's that?" grunted Leon.

Tidus peered up at him a bit, since Leon's eyes were shadowed by his hand.

"I'm really worried about Riku. I know I sound crazy, but, he's my friend and I love him like a brother. Sure, he's ill-behaved sometimes and he's a total nutcase on occasion…like today…but I know that he didn't used to be like that, because I knew him when he moved here. And I'm just worried that something might have happened to him. I can't do anything about it, though, especially now, so…" Tidus breathed in, taking a break, "…I was wondering if…if you could keep an eye on him for me? Or to try? Please, Leon?"

The foster agent sighed. "I've _been_ trying, Tidus."

The blond fell silent in awe. "…I…I'm sorry…?"

"You're right, when you say Riku's acting strange. But I can't do anything about it. I'm just the agent who assigns him to his home. Unless Ansem gives him up or I gather enough evidence, I can't get him out of whatever trouble he's in."

"You mean you've been _keeping track?_"

"Only two other families ever got upset enough to call and complain to _me_. I assume the rest consulted Ansem." Leon shook his head. "That man…no one else who came to the agency wanted Riku. He was the only one who signed his papers. I couldn't refuse Riku the only home that would take him in…"

Tidus frowned. "Leon? What are you saying? Are you trying to say that Ansem's an unfit parent somehow?"

Leon paused, silent, then he looked up. Shaking his head. "I've said too much," he grumbled. "Never mind, Tidus."

"_What?_ How can you just expect me to _leave_ it there? You make it sound like you knew Ansem was doing…something…" Tidus' eyes widened. "Wait, _is_ Ansem…?"

Leon grabbed his folder of papers and stood up. "I think we've had enough to talk about for one day." He said. Tidus gawked.

"But—!"

Leon gave Tidus a firm glare. "I said, _I think we've talked enough_." He shook the folder at him. "And don't take anything I say seriously, you know how I mumble."

Tidus leered at him and crossed his arms, pouting. Yes, he knew quite well how Leon mumbled. The man had been assigning and re-assigning him for five years since he was ten. Leon was practically his brother. But just because Leon would mumble didn't mean it wasn't important. Leon never mentioned something unless it was important. He was a very quiet man, and very to-the-point. If it was something worth mentioning, it was something worth investigating.

Not saying anything, Tidus watched Leon turn to the kitchen. "Misses Highwind? Your son and I are done talking. I hope that everything goes well. Make sure that Tidus heals up."

"Of course I will," Edea responded.

Leon nodded. Good, he thought. "Goodbye, then. I'll check in again in a few weeks—say on the sixteenth of September?"

"Awright! That's close to my birthday!" Tidus exclaimed.

"That would be nice." said Edea.

Leon nodded again and headed for the door. Tidus opened it for him, seeing him out. He waved to Leon in his little red Saturn before the man drove away, and as soon as he was gone and the door was shut, Tidus grew very grim.

Was Ansem really the unfit parent Leon seemed to think he was?

With the way Riku acted, one could only wonder…

* * *

Ansem stared at Riku from across the kitchen table, and Riku just looked down at it, waiting for the scenario to start. He breathed deeply, trying to calm himself, pulling up painful memories—prepping himself for the agony and humiliation about to fall upon him. Again.

Even his mind had given up. Normally, trauma at such volumes would cause a complete case of amnesia. It was logical; Riku was a textbook example. Except that, he'd experienced it so much, that his mental defenses had given up trying to guard him from the pain. He even remembered the times before when he had experienced mild amnesia, and only once had it ever been severe, but he somehow managed to come back from it. With Ansem's help. "Another reason why you owe me every part of your body," he'd said with his sickening tone. "Everything about you, you owe to me. I helped you get it back."

As horrible as it made him feel, Riku was forced into a corner if he disagreed, because in a way, Ansem was right.

"So you attacked your friend today, I hear."

_Because you wanted me to do something,_ Riku thought, _What else was I supposed to do?_

_Tidus deserved it, _his obedient reflexes corrected him. _He betrayed you. He made you lose your Free Day. He deserved every bit of what you gave him._

Riku wasn't sure if he was tightening his fists because he was angry at Tidus, for ruining his Free Day, or at Ansem, for forcing him into such a horrible spot. He even went so far once as to say that he loved Tidus. Deep inside him, where the flames of his true self were being smothered, a little tiny piece of him was crying.

"Yeah, so?" was Riku's defiant answer, only just convincing enough to keep Ansem's disgusting arousal hard. Riku didn't care anymore. He did everything just to Ansem's satisfaction, and that was it. Nothing more. He didn't _want_ anything more.

"I'm very disappointed, Riku." Ansem stood up, his hands folded behind his back. "You've been a very bad boy."

Riku felt his consciousness sinking, lower and lower. Here _it comes. Get ready._ He hung his head, biting his lip, drawing a silent breath.

"And do you know what happens to boys like you, Riku?"

He remained silent. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ansem pull out a vibrating sex toy. Memories flashed in his head, about how familiar it was, and he clenched his fists tight, recalling the pain.

"They get punished."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Ugh, the end. Another part I loathed writing.

What's this? Leon knows something! Oh ho! The plot thickens!


	10. Ch 10: Justice In Waiting

**Author's Notes:** Thanks to my friend keeping me up into the wee hours of the morning, I finished this one, too. Have fun! I'll be spending most of the day with my mom, so I'll update ASAP after we've had quality time.

* * *

Chapter 10

_"Justice In Waiting"_

**Two Years Earlier**

Leon combed quickly through his short brown hair, then threw on his jacket over his white shirt, and he was off. He didn't look like a foster agent, but they never said anything about fashion imposing on the job. Thus far, nobody had complained about his favorite leather jacket with the white fur lining, so he assumed his sense in clothes wasn't terrible.

He checked his folder of papers in the car, looking at his schedule. He was supposed to check in on Riku today. This one was a routine visit, unlike the common "hellos" and "I'm just dropping in for lunch" sort of things he did with Tidus. Tidus, he was different. Leon enjoyed Tidus; he was a nice kid. Riku, however, Leon could sometimes do without. A bit too rebellious for his tastes. Had been a major headache when he was staying at the agency.

There were two reasons why he did not have any visits other than business ones with Riku. One, Riku wasn't especially favored to him. Two, he was concerned it would invoke some sort of wrath in his new foster father.

Leon tried not to grasp the steering wheel too tightly as he drove to Bastion County, thinking about Ansem. Ansem Atercor…he was a man that was making it very hard for Leon to stay steady with his job. Ansem had been fostering children from the Lindblum Orphanage and Fostering Agency for years, but something just didn't sit right with Leon. Most parents wouldn't come back to the same agency twice when fostering a child. If it were any other way, Leon remained unaware of it. So years ago—when Leon was twenty-three and had begun working for Lindblum—Ansem returned a little ten-year-old girl to them, then came back for an eleven-year-old boy, and Leon felt a pang of concern.

First, because Ansem continuously consulted their agency for several years. Second, because all of the children always had the same excuse for coming back. "Mister Ansem is a very nice man," they always said, "But I don't get along with the neighbors well." Leon didn't like hearing the repetition; it was always said with a tone he could almost pinpoint as trauma. Fear. They were _scared_ of Ansem. What was he _doing_ to them?

It made Leon so angry!

He had tried time and again to make some of Ansem's past charges speak to him, but whenever he mentioned it, they only reiterated themselves. The same worn-out excuse from all of them. Some tried to deviate, but Leon wasn't fooled. Something very wrong was going on within the confines of Ansem's house. He just needed to find out _what_. His protective tendencies towards the little ones wanted Leon to just barge into Ansem's house and tear it apart until he found the source of such terrors, or to refuse Ansem the right to foster children from the Lindblum Agency. He just wanted to cut that bastard off from his little supply and punch him in the face. How dare he hurt these children, especially so young!

But if he did that, Leon would lose his job. And he much preferred to keep it.

Thus he was torn. He wanted to either remain helping the children as best as possible, and pray Ansem didn't take another, or he wanted to maul him for the atrocities Leon was certain he was doing. Surely, it was no mere coincidence that all these children always came back so horrified when they were returning from Ansem. None of the other children from the other parents were ever like that. Only with Ansem. There had to be something he was doing. Leon was beginning to suspect (and this increased his anger tenfold) that the sick bastard was a pedophile. For months he wrestled with the thought, and then finally he believed it. What else could it be?

Thus, when Ansem picked Riku out from the bunch, Leon fought with himself for several minutes before he finally sighed and silently handed over Riku's papers. Signing him over to a life of rape and terror. Leon went home that night and put a new dent in his kitchen wall.

When he drove up to Ansem's house on Twilight Terrace, Leon steeled himself as he got out of the car and knocked. When Ansem answered the door, smiling and staring at him with deceiving hazel eyes, Leon only nodded curtly.

"Ah, Leon. Today is the day, I suppose?"

"That's what I have written," Leon grunted.

"Well, I won't keep you, then. Come on in." Ansem stepped aside, and Leon moved swiftly past him. _Look as smug as you'd like, _Leon thought, _One of these days I'm going to catch you._

"Riku's been very good. He's quite a pleasant young boy."

Leon shuddered when his brain picked up on the double entendre, and he tried desperately to ignore it, gripping his folder until his fingers and knuckles were white.

"Hmm," was his reply.

"Although, he did get into a fight with someone at school the other day. He's learned his lesson, though. I made sure of that."

More tight gripping of his folder.

"He was grounded for it."

Leon almost wanted to whirl around and stare at Ansem in horror—God only knows what being grounded meant in _this_ home. But he resisted the urge and just looked around the house, mostly trying to look for any signs of abuse, anything sexual that might have been used to hurt Riku. Any plain evidence. But Ansem was a clean old fucker, and his house looked as abuse-free as any normal family home.

"Is there some reason why you're searching my house, Leon?" Ansem asked.

"I'm not searching. Just observing." Leon said indifferently. "Your house is nice."

Ansem smiled. "Thank you. I try to clean up often."

_I'm sure,_ Leon hissed in his mind. _Wouldn't want evidence of your sick fantasies showing up, would we?_

"So where is Riku right now?"

"He's upstairs," Ansem smiled and pointed to the stairs, "I'm surprised you couldn't tell with his music blaring out the speakers."

Leon paused and listened. Indeed, he could hear music quite clearly. Wasn't that Metallica playing?

"May I go see him?"

"Of course. That's the reason you came, isn't it?"

Again a noncommittal grunt from the brunet before he headed up the stairs. Ansem followed him, and Leon wished he would just go downstairs and _wait_. Hadn't the bastard violated Riku enough?

When they reached the top of the steps and got to Riku's room, the noise was almost deafening. Leon tried knocking. "Riku?" he shouted. "Riku, it's Leon."

For a while, the blaring Metallica songs continued, before it was cut off. Finally. Ansem smiled at Leon. "He's such a nice boy." He repeated.

"Hmm," grunted Leon. The doorknob turned and the door itself opened up. Looking up at him, wearing not much else besides an oversized t-shirt and jeans, was Riku Lockheart. His eyes were a little distant, glazed, and his face was emotionless. Leon wasn't normally a sap and he didn't often show his emotions, but he felt his heart get crushed in his chest. Riku looked so _submissive_. It wasn't the same. He'd been different before Ansem had taken him. This was so unnatural.

"Hey." Riku mumbled.

"Good afternoon, Riku." Leon leaned down a bit. "May I come in and talk?"

Riku looked at Ansem, almost like he needed his permission. Leon frowned. Was he going to get another rehearsed discussion? He hated those so much. They never gave him any information!

Ansem nodded his head, and Riku turned aside for Leon to walk in, which he did. "Sure," Riku said quietly, shutting the door behind them. Leon went over and sat on Riku's bed. It seemed like it would barely fit the boy.

Riku walked over and joined him, his hands folded in his lap, his listless eyes turned down under short locks of silver hair that were an inch above his shoulders. When Riku didn't engage the conversation, Leon supposed he would have to.

"So, how are things going between you and Ansem?"

Riku stared at his fingers. "Things are going well," he said, his tone without emotion. Leon tilted his head.

"Do you like it here?"

"I love it here."

"You're not having any problems?"

Riku fidgeted a little. "Not at all." Still the same uncaring tone. Still the same blank eyes. Leon was getting a little frustrated.

"How is school? Ansem told me you got into a fight with one of the kids."

Riku fell silent for a while. "…He started it," was what he mumbled. Then his fingers began to creep over to Leon's folder.

Leon blinked, not sure what to do. He glanced from Riku's hand to Riku himself, and Riku glanced up at him with pleading eyes. "Please keep talking," said his lips, but the sound was mute.

"Er…" Leon faltered only a moment. "From what it sounds like, you were the one who started up the whole scuffle."

Riku's fingers took the pen from Leon's hands that he was holding and he turned, suddenly advancing on Leon in a way the brunet hadn't expected. "I didn't start it. He punched me, and I punched back, that's all." He faced Leon now, leaning him back a little, and all Leon could do was just to follow along in surprise as Riku uncapped the pen.

"And besides that…nothing?"

Riku slowly lifted Leon's t-shirt, and Leon turned a little red. He wasn't expecting Riku to do something like this, but he was certain the boy wasn't going to molest him. Instead, as it turned out, he began to write something on his stomach.

"Not a thing."

Leon was quiet for a while. "…I see," he murmured. "Um…well…" it was hard to talk, because his stomach tickled. "If you need anything, you know you can always call me."

"I doubt I'll have to," Riku dismissed, making a clear period-mark on Leon's skin. Riku leaned over and gave Leon's stomach a silent kiss, his tongue flitting into the brunet's navel. Leon pushed him away then and quickly tugged his shirt down, standing up and brushing himself off. What had he written? He couldn't read it, even looking down when Riku was writing it.

"Then I suppose we're done here. Well, that was short."

"Our talks are always short."

Leon nodded absently and Riku opened the door for him. Now Leon knew why Riku had done that writing so discreetly. Ansem was staring him right in the face when the door opened up.

_Good Lord, is there no end to his stalking intrusion?_

"So that's all for today." Ansem stated.

Leon shifted. "I suppose so," he grunted. "Call me if anything comes up. I'll be glad to help."

"We'll keep that in mind," Ansem told him. "You have a nice day, Leon."

"Yeah, have a nice day." Riku echoed. Leon frowned, but he just nodded to the two of them and left.

As he drove home, he grumbled in frustration. Well, that had been uneventful! Nothing new, no information at all. Except…unless Riku had written something on his stomach?

When Leon got home, he lifted up his shirt and stared at it, frowning. It wasn't legible. He couldn't read it! What was the point in writing a message that he couldn't read? He gave Riku credit for effort, but surely he was't stupid. How could he write all of the letters backwards?

Then it clicked.

_Wait a minute…!_

Leon rushed into his bathroom and pulled off his jacket and shirt, staring at himself in the mirror. There it was! The message reflected legibly in the mirror! _You're not bad, Riku!_

He didn't like what was written there, though.

PLEASE HELP ME.

That's it? That's ALL?

This didn't help him one bit!

Once again disgruntled, Leon kicked his clothes into a corner of the bathroom and went to sulk in front of the computer. Messages for help were no solid evidence. They were heresay. He needed more than that. Riku wasn't giving it to him.

_I want to help you, Riku, please know that I do,_ he prayed silently, _But I can't do anything when you're feeding me crumbs! I need the whole loaf of bread!_

Leon just sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. _Riku, please, give me something solid. I need something to go off of._

* * *

**Present Day**

Leon stared at the computer screen blankly.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez:** did u get the info u needed to help that kid?

He'd told his friend about it a while ago. It had bugged him that much. He shook his head and exhaled deeply, takking away on the keyboard.

**GrieversKeepers:** no.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez:** thats too bad, I'm sorry.

**GrieversKeepers:** he's living on a wing and a prayer…

**GrieversKeepers:** …

**GrieversKeepers:** or a prayer at least

**RiddlezindaMiddlez:** it sux that you can't do anything.

Leon knew that. He knew that very, very well.


	11. Ch 11: A Transfer and a Mark

**Author's Notes:** Another chapter for you all to enjoy. I'm so glad everyone likes this so far. Just curious - what are your favorite parts from this story? Review with the answer, because I'd like to see what it is I'm doing that people like so much. Such as story elements and so forth. I can keep them in mind for later stories!

* * *

Chapter 11

_"A Transfer and a Mark"_

The moment Sora heard about what had happened to Tidus, he was furious. Riku had attacked Tidus! His only best friend! Sora's _new_ friend! That twisted jerk—he better have a good reason for acting so violent, or else Sora had half a mind to come up and punch Riku himself!

The news didn't escape Lisa, either. Now not only was she upset that Sora had been slapped by Riku a week earlier, but she was cautious after Riku had nearly choked Tidus. "Sora, I don't want you going near that boy, do you understand?" She said it at least once a day while they settled into their house. She also warned him, "Make sure Selphie stays away from him too, do you hear? I don't want my precious babies getting hurt."

"Trust me, Mom," Sora had said on a Sunday (the one-week anniversary of Riku's assault on him), "I really don't intend to."

By now, it was a Wednesday, and Sora was finally ready to transfer into Besaid High School. The house was fully settled in, and not only were Sora's clothes arranged in the drawers, but his mother even took him and Selphie shopping for new jeans, new shirts, new shoes—all the while buying them school supplies as well. So now Sora was wearing a pair of dark-blue denim jeans, a black t-shirt, and a dark denim jacket overtop of that. He also had on his favorite crown necklace, and a black studded bracelet that he really liked. His backpack was unbearably full and heavy, but that always came with the first day.

Likewise, Selphie was in her favorite yellow overalls skirt and was wearing a pair of plain sandals, and had a few bracelets on her wrist. Her Hello Kitty backpack was held firmly to her back as she gripped the straps, whilst Sora let his hang off on one shoulder. His had a crossed-out heart design on one of the pockets, a black heart with red thorns in an "X".

And their mother was taking pictures.

Sora groaned. "Mom, can I go now? I'm gonna miss the bus!"

"Awww, but I can't resist! Your new school, your new clothes…I just had to take photos!"

"Selphie, honey, let's go. I'll drive you to school." John said. Selphie jumped up and down excitedly.

"Booyaka! New school!" she cheered. Lisa saw Sora was checking out the television again, watching as a rather familiar blond-haired celebrity was on the screen, looking at the dozens of microphones in front of him with tired blue-green eyes.

"…Has been questioned about the relationship with his boss, but there have been no comments as of yet…"

Sora's mother clicked off the T.V.

"Okay, you've watched enough of that. That man has been on the news for the last week. I swear, they just won't leave him alone."

Sora nodded. By now, he'd been the main subject of their dinner news talks so much that he was already familiar with his face and his name, and he even knew what his job was. He was apparently named Cloud Strife, and he was a model for the Rising Sun line of men's clothes. Selphie was starting to idolize him. Every time they got a magazine from the store, she secretly hunted for pictures of Cloud's ads and tore them out. Selphie knew her mother would be a little unhappy if she found out, because Cloud's modeling was privy mostly to underwear advertisements.

"Guess I better go," Sora said as they all went out to John's car. "Selphie! C'mere, give your big brother a hug." Selphie ran right up to him and squeezed him, standing on her toes, and Sora hugged her back and gave her a kiss on the head.

"Be good at school," he told her.

"Be safe!" Selphie replied.

Sora nodded, knowing the importance of that if he was going to the same school as Riku. "I'll be careful," he told her. He smiled, and winked. "Promise."

* * *

Since Sora was riding on the same bus as Tidus and Roxas, the three of them grabbed a seat in the back (the back was the only part of the bus with open seats for three). The minute Sora sat down, they were chatting like girls.

"Okay, the ropes," Roxas said excitedly, turning in his seat. He was wearing khaki cargos and sandals, and a plain white t-shirt that fit his body pretty nicely. (_He looks cute,_ Sora found himself thinking.) "The principal sucks, and we call him 'The Penguin' because he's so fat. Don't piss of Mrs. Kent, she's a total bitch, she's the worst teacher in the school. The best teacher is Mr. Slyver. Awesomest English guy you'll ever meet."

"English? He's English?"

"He means the best English _teacher_," Tidus corrected. "Axel teaches both of us, but we're in different classes."

"Do you have your schedule?" asked Roxas.

"I think so…let me get it…" Sora fished around in one of the front pockets of his backpack and unfolded a paper with his schedule.

"Um…let's see…A-Day is first period Gym, second period Drama, third period Biology, fourth period History…"

"Booooriiing." Droned Roxas. "Get to the B-Day! Today's a B-Day!"

"The block scheduling isn't too confusing, is it?" Tidus asked. "Sometimes the new kids get confused." Sora shook his head.

"Not at all. My old school had block scheduling, too, so I'm used to it."

"So what's on your B-Daaay?" Roxas groaned. Sora skimmed.

"…First period Geometry, second period Psychology, third period English…"

Tidus looked very hopeful now. "Who's your teacher?"

"It says Slyver."

"_Yes!_" Tidus clapped his hands and held them up in the air. "Oh yeah! My class!"

"Awwww! Oh well, at least he's got Gym and Drama with me, see? He's got Mr. Saix in Gym and Mr. Valentine in Drama." Roxas pointed out the respective classes on Sora's list. Sora had a bright smile on his face.

"Cool…I get to have classes with you guys!"

"I think that means you're on the same lunch shifts as us, too." Tidus pointed out. He paused, going over the shifts. "Yeah, you are! First and Third shifts. This is great!"

"You're lucky!" Roxas sighed. "We, like, _never_ get the classes with the people we want. It's a curse, I tell you. A neverending curse!"

Sora smiled. "Then I guess I broke the curse!"

Roxas laughed. "Well not really. Now we need a class where all three of us are together—_then_ the curse will be broken!"

Sora and Roxas began to talk away amongst themselves, momentarily forgetting about Tidus, who stared at the seat in front of them with distant eyes. Riku was riding the bus today. Tidus was looking straight at the back of his head.

The silver-haired teen was wearing a black t-shirt under a creamy-white jacket with a pale yellow lining to it, and had a short leg warmer/arm brace on one arm. His jeans had big pockets and were dark blue, sitting low on his hips—just enough to show off the black, white-plaid boxers underneath. Riku turned around and looked at Tidus, but he was the one who turned around, and not the blond. He almost looked sad—sorry, even. Tidus wasn't sure what to make of it. Was Riku regretting what he'd done to him, and had he finally calmed down, or was this just another period of calm before the next storm?

As Tidus observed Riku, frowning, he saw the other turn and glance over his shoulder again. This time, his eyes grew wide and shocked, and he forced his gaze up front, his hand grasping the left side of his chest flat. That was strange. Tidus' brow creased. What was Riku looking at just now?

He took a fleeting glance at Sora and Roxas, and his eyes fell upon the black heart on Sora's backpack, blending with the dark blue material almost perfectly, crossed by red barb-like thorns.

_He was looking at Sora's backpack?_

"Hey, Sora?"

"Yeah?" Sora acknowledged Tidus, and the sandy-haired blond touched his backpack.

"What's that symbol from? It looks cool."

"Oh, this?" Sora shifted the bag so it sat in his lap, showing off the symbol. "This is the logo of one of my favorite bands. They've been around since my mom was a little girl, but I really like their music. It's kind of dark, but the lyrics have a lot of meaning."

"Sweet! What's the name of the band?" wondered Roxas.

Sora's fingers brushed over the logo as he smirked. " 'The Heartless'."

* * *

Riku tried to keep his heartbeat steady as he grasped the tattooed flesh of his left pec under his shirt, biting his lip as he sat alone on the bus. That was _his_ mark! _His_ curse! And Sora had it on his school bag! The _nerve_ of that little shit, reminding him of the leash he'd been on since thirteen!

Riku shut his eyes tightly and breathed deep.

_No, he doesn't understand. It's not his fault._

_Exactly!_ cried his Ansem Defenses. _He_ _doesn't understand! And yet he still torments you!_

_But he just moved here—he doesn't know!_

_But there it is, right there, the mark of that bastard who rapes you every night! Every day of your life you've had that tattoo, ever since you were fifteen years old. Ansem ruined your birthday when he gave you that tattoo! How dare Sora carry his brand!_

Riku's knuckles bleached white. He tried to fight against this. Inside him, he knew this fear in particular was illogical, but years and years of abuse tried to tell him otherwise. He knew the logo was from a popular band, but that was the extent of his knowledge. Except that he also recognized it primarily as the curse of Ansem Atercor.

_He's taunting you. Mocking you._

His eyes flashed and Riku growled primitively, clenching the material of his jeans in his fist. He forced the voice of survival out of his head, and focused on something else—anything else. He didn't want to think about Ansem right now. He was trying to keep his thoughts Ansem-free. When he went home today, Ansem was going to put him through the Master-Slave routine again. That was always the worst. He usually ended up being forced to suck Ansem's sex, and got choked with a mouthful of the man's bitter-tasting fluids. Those were the nights when Riku wished he could crawl into an open grave, bury himself, and rot.

Riku winced when he shifted in his seat, Ansem's quiet, compact vibrator brushing against his prostate and making him hard again. He was _so_ glad that fucker sent him to school with these baggy pants. This was going to be happening to him all damn day.

So much for keeping his thoughts Ansem-free.

* * *

Sora was welcomed very warmly into all of his classes, and he realized that Tidus was right about this place. It felt very homey. Everyone was nice, and some of the students were a little rowdy, but they were good. Sora was able to spot a lot of the Besaid Raiders the moment he came in. Wakka, Tidus and Roxas all hung out in a corner table at the cafeteria in the mornings, Sora discovered. And Riku apparently sat by himself in a far corner just across from them on the other side of the cafeteria. When the teen looked their way, Sora just glared at him. He wasn't happy with Riku, and he wasn't going to appreciate the other's glances until Riku apologized to them. At least then, he would give Riku a chance.

During lunchtime, Sora talked with Tidus and Roxas—Tidus walked with him from Mr. Slyver's class, and he found that so far he liked Mr. Slyver the best. He was a little big-headed, but he was really nice, and very pleasant. He'd actually seen Mr. Slyver with someone before school started. Some guy with a blond mohawk and a guitar case slung over his shoulder. It made Sora curious, particularly because the two of them were in a private corner of the school and had their arms around each others' waists. Sora had turned beet-red when Axel groped the man's ass, and left them there. He decided he would ask later, and now was the opportune moment.

"Hey, Tidus? I have a question."

"Ask away." Tidus popped a bite of school mashed potatoes into his mouth, which were edible, if anything. Roxas was chomping down on a chicken salad sandwich. Those, Sora discovered, were not half bad. He was eating one himself.

"Is Mr. Slyver in any…er…relationships?"

"I'm not the Gossip Stone." Tidus waved his plastic fork to Roxas, whose eyes were suddenly shining with a bright, excited luster. "Ask Chatterbox over here."

Sora turned to Roxas. "So…is he?"

"Has been since he was hired here last year!" Roxas declared, setting down his sandwich. He kept his voice just above the cafeteria noise, so that only Sora and Tidus could hear. "Mr. Slyver's really good at keeping it secret, but sometimes his boyfriend stops by the school. I saw him. Why, did you see him this morning, too?"

Sora's cheeks turned red again. "Y-You mean, you watched them?" he squeaked.

"Watched them? I _talked_ to them!" Roxas' grin grew wider and wider. "Mr. Slyver's boyfriend is so nice, and he's _sooo_ cool! His name is Demyx Mylon, and he plays the lead guitar for his own band. How sweet is _that?_"

Sora frowned. "Well, but, isn't the teacher faculty worried about the fact that Mr. Slyver is…?"

"Gay?" Tidus filled in. Sora shrank from embarrassment and nodded. "I don't think so. Down south where you're from, it might be different, but we're a little more accepting up here. Mr. Slyver never told anyone he was gay, but I think some of the teachers found out, anyway. Some of the students—like Roxas—have met Demyx personally."

"Oh…"

"Axel doesn't mind that a few people know. I think that slowly he's getting used to the idea. He's not a closet-gay or anything, but he grew up in a big city where gay guys were just big faggots."

"_Roxas!_" Tidus cried.

"It's true! They discriminated him!" Roxas defended himself with his ever-endless information. " 'You stupid faggot, you queer little fucking sinner!' That's what Axel told me they called him."

Sora swallowed. "Gosh…that's not good. I hope he's gotten over it."

"Probably." Tidus answered, eating the rest of his food. "Mr. Slyver moved here for about a year and then he was hired at the school. His paycheck helps to fund Demyx's band somewhat. Demyx is waiting on his big break."

"Roxas, what's Demyx's band called?" Sora asked. Roxas smiled even wider.

"They're called 'Nobody's Order'. And I think you'll like this part—their music is influenced by bands just like The Heartless!"

"Cool!" exclaimed Sora. "I wonder if Mr. Slyver will take me to watch Demyx play! That would be awesome!"

"I'll bet if you ask, he'll give you the option." Tidus suggested. "As long as you let your mom know where you're going. Axel's really nice."

Sora nodded absently, considering the thought. Roxas then broke it and hit the table with his palm.

"Dude! Alice and I had a great time last night. We went out and we saw that new movie, _Road to the Dawn_. I picked good this time, she loved it. And I liked it, too! Kind of a chick flick, but it had plenty of action."

"Oh, I saw the commercials for that." Tidus tilted his head curiously. "Was it good?"

"It was _awesome_." Roxas nodded his head. "You should go see it!"

Sora stared down at his half-eaten sandwich. Hearing Roxas' words made him think of home. In his mind, an image of a certain red-haired girl filled his senses and he smiled dreamily. Looking up, Sora set his tray aside.

"I've got a girlfriend back home," he mentioned.

"Ooh! What's her name?" Roxas turned excitedly in his seat. Tidus shook his head. Roxas—always a sucker for new information.

"Her name's Kairi. Kairi Dextrous. She has a twin sister named Naminé."

"Mmmm!" Roxas purred. "Sounds foxy!"

Sora blushed, smiling shyly. "She's sweet, and she's _beautiful_. I really like her." He searched the pockets of his jeans for his wallet that had his lunch money. "I think I've got a picture of her, hold on."

"Sora, you never told us you had a ladyfriend!" Tidus smirked. "I'm not surprised. The girls here like you, too. Better guard yourself or they might try to steal you."

Sora laughed as he pulled out his wallet and produced a palm-sized picture that barely fit in its confines, holding it out to Tidus. "Here. This is from last year. Naminé's on the left, and Kairi's on the right. Nami's hair was still red back then."

Tidus took the picture and examined it, and whistled. "She's a _babe!_"

Roxas leaned over to see and he gaped. "Sora, you lucky little bastard! You netted the Girl Next Door!" Sora smiled sheepishly and scratched his head, not mentioning just how right Roxas was. At home, Kairi was practically his next-door neighbor.

"Her sister's not half-bad looking, either! Wow, what a couple of foxes!"

"Just remember that Kairi's mine!" Sora laughed, his cheeks still red. "She and Naminé are really protective of each other. They're stuck together like glue. They're from even further south than I am, but they're so sweet. I started dating Kairi about six months ago."

"Then what's with this picture?" Tidus asked. "You said it was a year old."

Sora explained, "Kairi, Naminé and I grew up together in the same neighborhood, so we were really good friends. I guess Kairi just decided that she wanted to take it further, and…well, I sort of had a crush on her since sixth grade."

"Aaah, that's classic." Tidus grinned and nudged Sora's arm from across the table. "Man, you should make a movie out of this stuff. It'll make crotchety old men cry."

Then the lights flashed in the cafeteria, and everyone got up, dumping their trays and heading back to class. Tidus, Sora, and Roxas said their "laters" and went off. But Tidus, he took Roxas by the sleeve and pulled him over.

"Whoa, man. What's up?"

"See me after school," Tidus murmured. "I want to talk to you about something."

"Sure. But why you acting all secretive?"

Tidus dropped his voice lower, looking at Roxas. "It's about Riku. Don't look at me like that, you know I wouldn't abandon him for the world, even if he did nearly kill me. Now I know something's wrong with him." He gripped Roxas' arm. "Just see me. Please?"

Roxas' shock had passed over and turned to concern. "Tidus, you're _insane_. Why can't you just let the freaking dead horse die? Riku hates you. Get over it."

Tidus glared. "Just shut up! Are you with me or not? If you're going to bitch at me the whole time, I'll just do this without your help."

The sunny-haired blond looked into Tidus' eyes, frowning and licking his lips. He breathed deep and sighed after a while, and nodded his head. "Okay…fine. I'm with you."

Tidus slowly released Roxas' arm, and went to class. "I'll see you later, then."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **I'm sure you can guess what happens next. :) 


	12. Ch 12: Bond, James Bond

**Author's Notes:** My God! I leave for six hours, and I come back to all these reviews! Wow! Thanks for the feedback, guys. I really appreciate it. And please don't worry - Riku will get better, I promise. Just not anytime soon. But until then you can watch as everyone tries desperately to help him. :) This chapter and the next one are my updates for the night. Stay tuned, more to come! MUCH more!

* * *

Chapter 12

_" 'Bond. James Bond.' "_

As promised, Roxas met with Tidus after school. Once they had all gotten home, Tidus went to hang out with Roxas at the skate park. They kept this casual; they were friends, after all. But as he ripped up some moves on the half-pipes and grinded the rails on his board, Roxas couldn't help but think that Tidus was planning something a little dangerous.

Hmmm. Danger. He _liked_ danger.

Tidus sat on the sidelines and watched, until Roxas came over to sit with him. "So what's this all about?" asked the sunny blond, taking off his helmet so he wouldn't marinate in his own sweat.

Tidus folded his hands in front of him, deep in thought. As Roxas sucked eagerly on the squeeze-cap of his water bottle, Tidus fidgeted with his fingers as he became lost in his own mind.

"Roxas," he began, "You know the first time I moved here I was with different parents, right?"

"I think so. I didn't know you then."

"Well, I saw Riku a few times before Leon took me back to be re-fostered." Tidus stared ahead of him intently. "He was _nice_. He was _friendly_. Then something happened and he became a recluse. When I moved back in last year, Riku was way different. When he saw me he hugged me, even cried."

"Careful, you sound sappy." Roxas teased. Tidus glared at him.

"I'm serious. I never thought about it before, but I've heard things lately, and thinking back on it, I think it meant something. He's been all aggressive since then, and every once in a while I see him with this fear in his eyes."

"_Fear?_" Roxas snorted. "Riku's not scared of anything. You're imagining things. That guy's got a heart of lead and brass balls to match."

"Cut the bullshit, Roxas!" Tidus growled suddenly, making Roxas jump. "Open up your mind and listen. I really think something's going on with Riku, and I want to find out what."

"What…you think he's been abused or something?"

When Tidus stared at him unblinking, Roxas coiled back, his face pale.

"_NOOOOOO._ You're not fucking serious!" He paused. "…_Are_ you?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Tidus locked eyes with the blond, daring him to say he looked even the least bit amused. Roxas swallowed a lump in his throat, and shook his head.

"But…man, I don't know…are you sure? Riku could just be a weird kid. That's how he's always been."

"As far as you know." Tidus corrected. He scooted closer to Roxas. "Rox, did you know that before Edea fostered me, I lived with a couple of rich people in Midgar City?"

"_What?_ You were living in the Lap of Luxury? How come you didn't stay!"

"I'm a Foster Child, Roxas." Tidus leaned back against the fence. "There are a lot of things about me people don't know. They just know that something happened to get me fostered…the couple thought they could use me as a 'test drive'. I was their experimental son. After three months, they decided that having a child was too expensive and they sent me back. I heard them talking about it when they thought I wasn't home."

Roxas was stunned.

"…Fuck…that's a low blow, man…I'm real sorry."

Tidus shrugged. "It just goes to show you what some people think when they don't know everything about you. They never bothered to ask me what I was like—they just adopted me and called me theirs, then turned around and sent me back. Riku's the same. There's got to be something we're missing. There's a piece of this puzzle that we haven't figured out."

Roxas chuckled. "Dude, I feel like I'm in a Double-oh-seven movie." He acted all suave, pretending to straighten the lapels of a tuxedo, holding a glass of champagne. He deepened his voice and said, "I am Bond. James Bond."

Tidus smiled a little. "I guess so. It is a mystery of some sort I guess."

"Yeah, it's like, a total expedition! 'Discover the Mysterious Ways of the Juggernaut! Find the Source of His Rage!' "

"Okay, okay, get serious." Tidus sighed and slapped his hands on his knees. "We need to start from the beginning. I don't think Riku was ever this bad before he came here. I want to focus on Ansem."

Roxas blinked. "Mr. A? Why so?" he wondered. "Seems nice enough to me."

"Roxas, you might not have paid attention, but Ansem's fostered lots of kids." Tidus looked at him. "And he never kept any of them as long as Riku. Most of them were right around his age group. Maybe eight, thirteen years old."

Roxas' brow creased. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You lost me. _How_ do you know this?"

"Because I always asked kids who their parents were," Tidus groaned, rolling his eyes. "You know, so I can _visit_ them? Lots of my old friends who were in my various neighborhoods had Ansem for a father at some point."

"So what? That doesn't mean anything."

Tidus thought for a while. Trying to recall what he could. Then he bit his lip, not liking the thought that crossed his mind. If it was true, then it was no wonder Riku was so strange…

"Maybe not…unless you think Ansem's a pedophile."

"A _WHAT?_" Roxas cried. "Tidus, your head is like, in Fantasy Land."

"No, it makes sense…!" Tidus began to put the pieces together. The children he'd met. The looks on their faces. Now that he was old enough to understand it all, he knew what it meant when the pieces formed the big picture.

_My God…poor Riku!_

"Tidus, Ansem doesn't have any signs of a pedophile! How can you tell?"

Tidus looked at Roxas. "How many times has he offered to pick us up at the bus stop, Roxas?"

Roxas frowned, confused. "Only a dozen times, but—!" His eyes widened. There was a long silence, and Tidus gave him a look to say, "See? I told you so."

"…That…that still doesn't mean anything."

"Fine, then I'll make you believe me." Tidus stood up. "Come on, we're going to call someone."

Roxas blinked incredulously, standing up with his board in hand. "Who? What?"

"Riku and I happen to have the same fostering agent." Tidus explained. "Leon must still have all of Ansem's old foster papers. He can show you."


	13. Ch 13: Little Agents

**Author's Notes:** And thus the plan is set in motion...!

* * *

Chapter 13

_"Little Agents"_

"Tidus, I told you, no. It's classified information."

"Leon, _please!_" Tidus begged. "This is really, really important!"

Leon's eyes narrowed as he held the phone to his ear. "Is this because of what you heard me saying when we talked? Didn't I tell you not to take me seriously?"

"If you're mentioning it out loud, it must be _critical_, right? Please, Leon, I'm begging you!"

Leon was finding it a little difficult to turn Tidus down. The boy was implying that he needed Ansem's fostering papers to get to the bottom of what he was doing to Riku, and when that thought crossed his mind, Leon felt he could practically jump for joy. However, the prospect also occurred to him that Tidus and Roxas would be in very great danger if they decided to do this. Ansem was a pedophile. While Riku, Tidus and Roxas were not necessarily younger than twelve anymore, that didn't stop Ansem from wanting to rape them. Riku was proof of that. He still wasn't letting Riku go, and Riku was seventeen years old now. Almost of legal age!

Leon sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Good God, he would _so_ get fired for this if he was caught. Sharing private papers with an outsider. And a _child!_

"Leeeoooonnnn. Pleeeeease. _Please,_ Leon." Tidus' voice was desperate, full of urgence and pleading. The brunet gave an agitated groan and finally smacked his fingertips against his computer desk.

"Oh, for God's sake. Fine."

He heard an excited gasp and cut Tidus off. "But Tidus Heartilly, I swear to God, if you let out that I've been giving you private customer information and I lose my job, I _will_ hunt you down _first_. Do you understand? This is so dangerous, it's not even funny. Not to mention you're putting yourself in a dire position just by investigating _Ansem_."

He could picture all too well the eager nodding of Tidus' head as he responded. "It's a risk I'm willing to take. I'm doing this for Riku. I mean, you even said yourself you've been trying to catch this guy, right?"

Leon wanted to bang his head against the desk for that. Instead he just winced painfully. _Oh God, maybe it's ME. I convinced him this was the best road to take. My Lord, Leon, some influence YOU are!_

"Hmm," he grunted, running his fingers through his hair. "I'll send you an e-mail with the papers attached. I keep an electronic copy of them on my computer all the time so I have backups to print. You should have it within the next five minutes."

"Thanks, Leon! Do you need my address?"

Leon pulled out a paper and pencil. "Fire away." Roxas gave it to him, and Leonwrote it down.

"Good. I'll talk to you later, Tidus."

"Thank you so much!" the boy repeated. Leon gave another noncommittal grunt and hung up, then started getting to work sifting through all his old files for Ansem's fostering history and the papers to prove it. While he was at it, in the e-mail he left a little message.

* * *

Not long after the phone call, Tidus and Roxas were in Tidus' room and the e-mail pinged into the sandy-haired blond's inbox. 

"There it is!" Tidus clicked it and opened it up. Leon had left him a request.

_I think you're a stupid little brat for doing this. And yet I have no reason to hate what you're doing. In fact I admire it._

_But if you get hurt because of the decisions you make, I will slap you straight to Kingdom Come. So I want you to play this safe, and don't do anything stupid. Ansem is dangerous. Be VERY careful what you do, Tidus._

_Send me any updated information you find. This bastard has been bugging the hell out of me for YEARS._

_-Leon_

"Will do?" asked Tidus. Roxas nodded.

"Will do."

Tidus clicked to open the attachment and began to read through all the files to Roxas.

"Two-thousand and two. First child was Annaliese Grimm, age six, female, returned to the agency six months after adoption. Eric Halls, age eight, male, returned two months after adoption. Jason Lewinsky, age twelve, four months after adoption. Two-thousand and three. Mary-Anne Michaels, age nine, eight months after adoption. Alex Kramer, ten, three months…"

Roxas was in absolute awe as they went through the extensive list. It was almost endless. Most of the children Ansem fostered were even as young as _six_. Boys, girls, all of them within the range of six to twelve years old. Most of them were never kept for any longer than three months. Ansem kept some of them for close to a year, but never hit that peak. As they scrolled through the papers, it finally ended with the only one that both of them were familiar with:

"Two-thousand and five. Riku Lockheart. Adopted on the eighteenth of March. Age thirteen."

"Holy. Shit." Roxas gasped. "Oh, God. I can't believe this guy _lives_ in _our_ cul-de-sac!" He looked at Tidus. "Didn't you say when you met that Alex kid that he was pretty freaked out?"

Tidus frowned, tapping a pencil between his fingers. "Yeah, but now we're at a block. If Ansem's a pedophile, how do we prove it?" He looked at Roxas. "Any bright ideas?"

Roxas stood back and held up his hands. "I'm as clueless as you." Tidus thought for a moment, staring at the screen.

"Well, we could gather up testimonies from all his previous charges. But that's way too tedious, and way too flimsy. I mean, these days, _anyone_ can say they got raped, but that doesn't always make it true."

"Wait! What if we ask Riku?"

Tidus sighed. "I don't think that's a good idea. Riku will probably be just like all the others I've met. He'll deny anything's happened to him, or still is happening to him. He must feel like he owes his existence to Ansem for fostering him. I actually know that feeling, a little bit." The sandy-haired teenager frowned. "When I was with that rich couple, I was blinded to them using me as a test child for a long time because I was so into the fact that someone actually cared enough to love me like my real parents never did."

"But that's sick! He doesn't owe jack-shit to that asshole! Isn't Ansem _raping_ him?"

"Think, Roxas. How do you _think_ Riku got twisted up like that?"

"…I guess," sighed Roxas, "Man, this is tough."

Tidus tapped his pencil back and forth on the desk, wiggling it between his fingers rhythmically as he scrolled through the papers again, and stared at Riku's. Well, they had to do _something_. He thought and thought. _Come on,_ he said to himself, _It's like Pooh Bear. Think, think, think._

"Hey, wait!" Roxas suddenly cried. "What if we gathered up evidence from Ansem himself?"

Tidus' eyes widened. "And just how in the _hell_ do you think we're going to do that? Walk up to him and ask him, 'Hey, are you a pedophile?' "

Roxas fell silent and flitted his eyes about nervously. Tidus rolled his eyes. But then he paused to consider it.

"…Well, it's a good idea, except for the asking him straight-out part."

"Wait, what?" Roxas blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Evidence, Rox, Evidence." Tidus folded his fingers on his computer desk. "I'll bet you if we can find some solid evidence from Ansem's house, it'll make the case a closed book for sure!"

Roxas got comfortable in a spare chair in Tidus' room, arms on the back of it, resting. "What kinda evidence, though?"

Tidus gave Roxas an evil smirk. "They say a picture's worth a thousand words."

Roxas leered at him with a heavily creased brow. "And how the fuck do you propose we get pictures out of Ansem's house? Nobody goes in there except him and Riku."

"You let me work that out." Tidus assured him, "I've got a plan. But first, we're going to have to work on repairing relations with Riku." He paused, then added, "Starting with me and Sora."


	14. Ch 14: Repairs On Square One

**Author's Notes: **There's not a whole lot to say about this chapter. I'm still so glad that people are continuing to read, so stick with me, folks. The plot's getting thicker and thicker. The problem is, now I'm debating how fast or slow I want to move this. I don't want to slap you in the face (remembers when Riku did that, laughs), but I don't want to drag it out like the ending to the_ DaVinci Code_ movie, either. (God, from the time Teabing got his ass kicked to the end, I just wanted to know when...the...fuck...they'd...figure...out...where...Magdalene...WAS.)

Anyway, after this chapter, a slight change in perspective with some more new characters!

* * *

Chapter 14

_"Repairs On Square One"_

When Tidus said, "Leave it to me," and Roxas agreed, he figured Tidus had something absolutely fucking brilliant in mind. Something that would get them what they needed, soon. And Tidus had just that very thing in mind. Except…

Roxas was now stuck stalking Ansem's house for whenever he left for work at the newspaper place.

_Keep_ _an eye on him, he said. Make note of his schedule, he said._ "Tidus, I don't think I can do this…"

"Oh, for God's sake, Roxas," crackled Tidus over their walkie-talkies, "All you have to do is watch him from the window. Besides, you're a master of faking sickness, and I only need maybe a few days."

Roxas frowned. "Yeah, but…what if Mom catches me?" This he did not believe, but still. His father was staying home from work this week, and there was always the possibility. Parents had a system. When one finds out, the other finds out.

"You're such a _freshman!_ Don't be a baby. Just watch him, okay?"

Roxas peered through the blinds on his window, heating a thermometer over the flame of his lighter. He didn't smoke, but it came in handy for lighting candles. So he liked candles—he would maul anyone who mocked him for it.

"I guess so. But I'm gonna kill you for making me miss making smelly things in science class today."

"Oh, whatever. You're such a suck-up."

"Dude, I was failing that class. And I like making smelly science projects!"

"Again. _Suck-up_."

Roxas sighed and stuffed the thermometer in his mouth when he heard his mom coming up the stairs. "Fine, whatever," he growled, clicking off the walkie-talkie and stuffing it under the covers. He'd managed to make his face look flushed and sweaty, and he was still in his pajamas. He hid the lighter with the walkie-talkie as his mother walked in.

Terra Milan had long, sunny blond hair, just like her son, and Roxas' father, Locke, had given him his eyes. Terra was sweet, nurturing—firm, but still motherly. And the best part, which Roxas loved, was that she was easy to fool. Coddling her only son when in sickness, even if that sickness was never real.

"Okay, honey. Let me see your temperature."

Roxas made a couple of (excellent) fake coughs, and rubbed at his eyes before giving her the thermometer. Terra read it and her eyes widened.

"A hundred and three. Wow, sweetie, you're burning up!" She felt his forehead. Roxas didn't have to do anything to make her think it was hot. The senses feel what they want to feel, and now that his mother believed he had a temperature of 103, to her his forehead felt like a furnace. _I love psychology,_ he thought to himself.

"All right, I'll call the school and let them know you're home sick with a fever. You stay in bed, and I'll go get you some leftover potato soup from last night, okay? I'll heat it up and bring it to you."

"Okay, Mom." said Roxas in a sickly voice. He gave her a weak smile. "Thanks."

Terra ruffled his hair and gave his cheek a quick kiss before taking the thermometer with her. Her fingers brushed over the part Roxas had heated, and she frowned, thinking it felt odd, but dismissed it because she had bought Roxas' sickness ploy. When she was out of the room, Roxas immediately sat up and peered out through his blinds again near his bed. He'd seen Riku go to the bus stop today, so he knew Ansem wouldn't be dropping him off at school. But his car had just pulled out of the driveway. Roxas checked his watch, then got a pad of paper and pencil from his bedside drawer and wrote down the date and time.

_Thursday, August 23rd_

_Ansem MORNING: 8:53 A.M._

"Now, you freaky child-raping, friend-hurting, making-me-miss-smelly-lab-day man," Roxas murmured, "Let the stalking begin!"

* * *

12:10 P.M., on the first lunch shift. Sora gazed at Tidus in absolute awe. He shifted the weight of his backpack on his shoulders, blinking as he held his tray with one hand. 

"You're…_joking_." Sora pointed at himself. "You want _me_…" now he gestured madly to Riku in a far corner of the cafeteria, "…to go sit with _him?_"

"Come on, I'll go with you," Tidus said gently. "Please, Sora? This is important. Riku needs some new friends."

"Hell, Tidus, he _tried_ to kill me, and he almost succeeded with _you!_"

Tidus winced a little. "You can't tell me that you hate him…?"

Sora stopped. Silence. His eyes darted left and right in slight psychological jerks, thinking about a response. "…Well," he croaked, "I mean, _no,_ not _hate,_ but…"

"Then there's a chance that you'll let him try again, right?"

Sora squeaked when his voice caught in his throat, eyes wide. No, no way! How dare he! Tidus had just thrust him into a corner! Sora forgot to mention how it was against all morals in his little sixteen-year-old brain to _hate_ people, unless they were truly deserving of it. And Riku wasn't entirely _deserving_ of hate…well, not _really_…

"I—!" Sora blubbered over his words for several seconds. Tidus just stared at him, undeterred, and then tilted his head towards Riku as he began walking.

"Come on. Roxas is sick, anyway. Riku needs the company."

"You—!" Sora choked, pointing dubiously at Tidus as he walked across the cafeteria. After a minute, Sora's brain became a wreck trying to think of a way out of this, what with all his moralities, and he finally sulked with a brief scowl on his face.

"You tricked me," he grumbled.

* * *

Riku, as usual, found himself sitting alone in the cafeteria. His head down on the table, he took this opportunity to try and sleep, since so little of it he often received. Deprived of rest and still aching from the previous night, he was dressed in a pair of cargo jeans and a light-blue denim jacket, over a green t-shirt with the Chinese symbol for "Love" on it. _How ironic,_ he mused, _that the bastard would choose to give me a shirt with something I've never received._

_He, too, is taunting you._ Said the Voice of Survival. The one he most often listened to.

Imagine Riku's surprise when he heard the soft clatter of two trays on his table. He blinked, and peered up from behind his arm that his head had been resting on. Tidus stared back at him as a certain brunet dropped his backpack on the floor and sat down, avoiding eye contact.

"Hey, sleepy-head," teased Tidus. "Any room for two more?"

Riku sat up instantly and gave the sandy-haired blond a scowl. "I thought I told you to stay the fuck away from me," he snapped.

"Yeah, I guess you did." Tidus sat down, and Riku's eyes flickered to Sora. He narrowed his eyes to slits, glaring at him. Sora didn't see it, because he was focusing on his food. Smart. Because he was already treading thin ice by sitting at _his_ table.

"So, stay the fuck away from me." Riku growled.

"Hmmm…let me think…" Tidus tapped his bottom lip, and Riku watched the gesture with the briefest of thoughts to take those lips and kiss them passing through his mind. They were suppressed almost instantly. He was Ansem's, and _only_ Ansem's.

"No." Tidus said simply. Riku blinked, and leaned over the table a little, hissing.

"What part of 'stay the fuck away' do you not understand?"

"The 'away' part," Tidus responded, eating some potatoes, "Because the 'stay' part makes perfect sense to me." He paused. "Oh, and I guess the 'fuck' part would have to be omitted, you know that I'm straight." He gave him a flash of a smile, and Riku grit his teeth behind pursed lips.

_Yes, I know God damn well you're straight,_ his mind boiled, _but that didn't stop me from loving you four years ago._

_No,_ spoke his Survival, _Ansem did that for you._

"Look, my Mom doesn't want me getting near you, but I figure that nobody watches you close enough to notice. Besides, you're my best friend." Tidus swallowed another bite of food. Riku noticed that this whole time, Sora had been silent, and seemed intent on keeping it that way. Smart. Boundaries, after all.

"I wanna sit with you because I know if you wanted to, you could come and sit with me."

"I tried to kill you, Tidus!" Riku cried, grimacing and lowering his voice. "You should be _afraid_ of me!"

Tidus locked eyes with him then, his gaze swirling with a calm, assertive power. "Should I be?" he asked him.

_Riku,_ he snarled at himself. He couldn't…stop…staring…at…those…eyes. Those fucking _eyes!_ He bit his lip, clenching one fist on the table as he suppressed a shudder of bliss. It was heaven in those eyes, and he was barred from it. Every time he wanted to reach for it, just stare into it and get lost, Ansem yanked him back down to earth, prolonging his suffering. Riku finally ripped their gazes apart and stared off into a distant corner.

_You're killing me, Tidus._

But, God, he wanted it so bad. The symbol on his shirt. Just to feel _worth_ something, to _anyone_. Someone other than Tidus, the only person who had ever shown him friendship.

Well, there had been another, but he was dead to her now.

"Um…Riku?"

The teen looked up with eyes jerked back to reality, and leered at Sora, who shifted a little uncomfortably under his hateful stare. _That's right, be scared of me, bitch. I get sick just looking at you._

_

* * *

_

Taking Tidus' advice, which the blond had given to him when Riku looked away, Sora swallowed and thought of how to approach this matter without making the time bomb in front of them explode prematurely. _Talk to him?_ Sora grumbled. _Easier said than done._

"I…I…uh…"

Riku gave him an agitated hiss. "Look, you sniveling little bitch, if you have something to say, then say it. If you don't, then shut up."

Sora shrank, and Tidus did nothing to correct Riku's insult. Instead, he waited patiently as Sora swallowed hard again and thought of what to say. Well, now would be as good a time as any to ask Riku the question that had been bugging him.

"Um…"

"If a cat's got your tongue, I'm gonna rip both the cat _and_ your tongue out of your throat. _Talk_."

Sora kept his eye contact with Riku, even though the hate in those eyes made him shiver. Finally, he spoke it, just as Riku was about to scold him again.

"What did I ever do to you?"

* * *

Riku had been ready to shout, "Say it before I tear out your throat, you little fucker!" But when Sora finally asked him the question that had been on the tip of his tongue, he stopped in mid-speak and it ended in a surprised croak. He, instead, stared at Sora while his mind reeled and suddenly began an emergency debate on how to respond to this new, utterly unexpected development. 

_What did he do to you? **What did he do to you?** He moved into the neighborhood and got you raped for Original Sin! This fucker's just like all the others that come and go—he's just the source of more pain!_

_No, that's Ansem, Ansem's the one who…!_

_And Sora **triggered** Ansem! It's **his** fault! **His** fault you got raped!_

Riku bit his lip, still staring at Sora, not even noticing he was there anymore. He thought he saw Sora frowning at him, but he ignored it, caught in a deadlock between his growing rebellious fire and the Voice of Survival. That fire had been smothered for the past four years, and it had been so completely gone that the Voice was all Riku had left. He heard himself talking to that Voice, and he was shocked when he listened to what he was saying.

_He's right._

_No, he's not! He's done you harm! You hate him, remember? You **despise** him!_

_But what about all the other times before him?_

The Voice froze. It had been the dominant presence for so long, it hadn't been expecting a logical retaliation. Riku could almost hear the sounds of a computer processing information, and then the fire in his soul sparked just high enough to cut the Voice.

For the first time since he'd written a message for help on Leon's stomach two years ago, Riku won the battle against his overzealous instincts to survive in his prison-home. But now another consideration crossed him. One that was more fitting to the traumatized mind of an abused child.

_Ansem punishes me because I tried to get away._

_It's not Sora's fault._

_It's not Ansem's fault._

_It's **my** fault._

Riku's system crashed and his eyes dulled. His anger sedated, he looked away and sighed, resting on the table again, pretending to be indifferent to the question. The Voice might be momentarily gone, but without it, his self-esteem plummeted sixty percent lower, and he was in a most vulnerable state.

"Nothing. That was a stupid thing to say."

* * *

Sora blinked. What just happened? A minute ago he was about to be screamed at, and now Riku was looking ready to go back to sleep. _Wow, bipolar much?_

"Nothing, as in…?"

"Nothing, you did nothing. Are you fucking deaf?" Riku turned his head away and moved to go back to Dreamland. "Now shut the fuck up. I don't wanna talk anymore."

Sora was stunned. He wasn't going to get slapped? Not even screamed at? He frowned, his brow creasing in thought as he cautiously ate a tater tot. Tidus had mentioned "another side of Riku." Was this anywhere close to it—or was it the side Tidus had talked about? 

A loud beeping leapt out of Tidus' pants pocket and a voice crackled over a speaker.

"Hey, Tidus, is the food as shitty as ever?"

Tidus turned down the volume and clicked to speak, revealing the walkie-talkie.

"Why, is your mommy feeding you carrots and peas?"

"Not funny," grumbled Roxas. Sora blinked.

"Isn't he sick?" he asked. Tidus held up a finger to tell him, "One second."

"Good news, I'm doing my job. Bad news, Mom just got my work for the day faxed to the house. Now I'm stuck with homework!"

"Don't be such a baby. Do it over the weekend."

"Do you know what Dad's going to do if I put it off? I'm going to go to school, fa—I mean, sick or not." Tidus was glad Roxas caught himself, because if someone overheard he was faking and happened to be a teacher, they'd be busted.

"Whatever. Look, I'm sitting with Riku right now, and you're kind of cutting into our social time."

"Oh, well, ex_cuse_ me." Roxas said in a haughty, mocking tone. "I'll just leave you be, then."

Tidus clicked the walkie-talkie off and stuffed it in his pocket. Sora glanced at him skeptically. "Tidus, why is Roxas talking to you over that thing? He didn't sound very sick."

"Ssshhh!" Tidus hissed. "Just don't rat on us. Roxas is doing something for me that needs him to stay home, that's all. Just keep it on the DL, okay?"

Sora blinked. " 'DL'?" he asked cluelessly. Tidus rolled his eyes.

"You live under a rock! DL, _Down-Low_. You know, keep it secret?"

"Oh," was all Sora replied with. They both heard a snort from the sleepy teenager across from them.

"Arrogant country hick."

Sora glared at him and his bottom lip thrust out in a bit of a pout, and he was about to retaliate, but Tidus patted his shoulder. He leaned over, whispering to him, "Just don't say anything. Trust me, this is as calm as he's ever been around a new neighbor before. By the end of a week or two, he won't even remember he hit you."

The brunet glanced between Tidus and Riku, and popped another tater tot in his mouth.

"I guess," he murmured. Tidus smiled at him.

"Congratulations," he said, "You've reached Square One with Riku."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **And, hopefully, I haven't turned Riku into a Gary-Stu with this chapter. It's getting harder and harder to keep him, like, traumatized and crazy, but not completely flat and Gary-Stu-like. I mean, he's hungry for attention that Ansem doesn't really give him, and he lost hope a long time ago, so I'm trying to portray that, and I'm trying to strengthen the meaning of what friendship represents for him. Makes sense? 


	15. Ch 15: The Not So Simple Life

**Author's Notes:** I finally finished it! This chapter is probably about as/almost as long as Chapter 8. Wow. Thanks for the advice and support, everyone.

Like I said, change in perspective. Time to meet the richer folks!

Marluxia is intentionally out-of-character, because it's amusing to make fun of him. I swear if he weren't part of the Organization this is how he would act.

* * *

Chapter 15

_"The Not-So-Simple Life"_

_Flash, flash, flash, flash._ Finally, the cameras stopped flashing.

"Oookay! That's a wrap!" Marluxia peered out from behind his camera with a thumbs-up on both hands. "_Gorrrgeous!_ Lovely as always, Strife!"

Cloud just stared at his cameraman with an anonymous look on his face, blue-green eyes bored and agitated now that the photoshoot was over. He instantly dropped out of his pose, his arms swinging down at his sides. He was wearing the latest design of boxers from the Rising Sun Agency's clothing line. Look pretty, and sell it in the ads. That was his job.

"I think we did pretty good that time," said his flamboyant pink-haired companion in the room. "Look at this lovely reel! I have thousands of pictures I can sell to the papers!" Cloud just looked at him with a groan under his breath as someone came over and wrapped a robe around his body, as if looking at it was no longer permitted since the cameras were off. Marluxia was a fantastic cameraman and had a lovely eye for models, and he was also the gayest flamer Cloud had ever met in his life. This was a man who wore pink from head to toe save black pants and shoes, and kept flowers in every inch of his home.

"Sooo, now that our lovely little meeting is done…" Marluxia walked over and gave Cloud a gentle slap on his arm with the camera reel, "Are you going to go home to your lovely little family in the hills?"

Cloud was reminded how irritating Marluxia could get when he got started talking. And the best way to get rid of it was to just cut him off while he was ahead. He turned his eyes nonchalantly away, tying the robe's sash securely around his waist.

"Now that our meeting is done, are you going to go home and have sex with your flowers?"

It sounded harsh, but it was true. Marluxia was practically _married_ to his plants. He even _talked_ to them. Cloud didn't know this because he'd been to Marluxia's house; he knew this because Marluxia had a mouth bigger than a whale's and an overwhelming need to share every single detail of his intimate life.

"I think my petunias need a little _watering_, if you know what I mean!" Marluxia giggled, nudging Cloud a little. Cloud just sighed at the bad joke and hurriedly began to walk out of the photoshoot, heading for the dressing rooms. Marluxia was still chattering away as he followed, which only made him more agitated.

"By the way, your ratings are up, my friend! The press _loooves_ you! And I'm not talking about the tabloids and those jerks that listen to them," Marluxia clicked his tongue and waved the camera reel around, "I mean the ones that really matter! And the magazines, _ohhh!_" Marluxia sighed, rolling his eyes in an orgasmic sort of pleasure. "Su-_blime!_ You are gorgeous, just _gorgeous!_ Cloud Strife, you're the most popular male model since Tressident!"

Zexion Tressident. He'd been the primary Rising Sun model before Cloud was hired. Cloud didn't care.

"That's nice," he grunted, opening up the door to his dressing room.

"Oh and by the way, there's another shoot scheduled for Monday on—" Marluxia coiled back just before the door slammed in his face. He clicked his tongue, huffing and putting his hands on his hips.

"Okay, _fine!_ I'll e-mail it to you, then!" He rolled his eyes, flicking one wrist as if dismissing the door. "_Ruuuude._"

* * *

_Thank GOD,_ Cloud thought, dropping the robe carelessly to the floor. _You never do appreciate silence until you've got twenty kids in your house, AND you've met Marluxia._ He looked through the closet in his dressing room, finding his original clothes quickly since they were the only ones in there besides pairs of boxers he'd been modeling for. He put on his own pair (the ones he was going to actually wear home), and hung the others up. Someone would come by and wash them, or more likely would throw them away, since mass production of the clothes had already started. _Whatever, I don't know how it works._ Cloud said to himself. _I just help to sell the product. I don't ship it._

The blond pulled on his shirt over his head, preparing to tug it down over his half-naked body when he heard the door open and then close. He glanced over with a surprise visit from someone he'd been seeing since his career began five years ago.

"Oh…hello, Sephiroth."

Sephiroth Penna, the man who owned Rising Sun, was forty-two years old and looked damn good for it. He exercised daily, his eyes were a shimmering emerald green, and while his face was strict, he had a charming smile and a personality suave enough to make a Queen swoon. His hair was a silvery color with age, and exceedingly long, but instead of taking away from his good looks, it only added to them. This ripped, handsome, sexy, charming man was Cloud Strife's employer and manager.

He was also Cloud's lover.

"How did the shooting go?" Sephiroth asked. Cloud let his shirt drop down and smoothed it out, not directly looking at Sephiroth in the eyes just yet.

"Fine. Same old, same old." He reported. "Marluxia practically had an orgasm watching me pose, as usual." Cloud shook his head when those words passed his lips. _That man really needs a date,_ he thought pitifully.

"Cloud, you're beautiful," Sephiroth stated. "I guarantee you everyone in the room got their panties wet watching you work."

Cloud's face turned undeniably red as he pulled on his jeans, zipping them up and buttoning them. As blunt and sometimes dirty as Sephiroth was, he had a way of embarrassing the blond, and at the same time passing him a compliment.

"M…Mmm." He grunted, just accepting the comment as it came. Sephiroth chuckled.

"Your face looks like a cherry now."

"It's your fault for calling me beautiful." Cloud grumbled. Sephiroth smirked and sauntered over to him, wrapping his arms around the shorter man's waist. Cloud leaned back against him, sighing and reaching up to lace his fingers behind Sephiroth's neck, under that cascading waterfall of silver hair. Sephiroth kissed his head.

"But you are," he purred. "You're so very beautiful, Cloud."

Cloud smiled and let the other rock them back and forth a little, moving as one. "So is your visit still on for tomorrow night?" he asked.

"If I can make it there without being seen, and if your miniature zoo will be preoccupied." Cloud smirked, chuckling.

"Seifer and Fuujin can keep them busy. They've got the whole night planned out."

"Ahh, good." Sephiroth leaned down and nibbled on Cloud's ear. "I wouldn't want them to walk in on us while we're playing our 'games'."

Cloud hitched a breath and ran his fingers through Sephiroth's hair. "Well, unless you're going to be distracted by DDR sounds on the downstairs floor…"

"And the shouting of little children?" Sephiroth smiled and sucked on the lobe of Cloud's ear. "I've grown used to it." He bit down firmly with his teeth. Cloud groaned a little in response.

"Seph, I have to drive home."

"Already in a hurry?" Sephiroth feigned disappointment, drawing Cloud back against him more. "I was going to squeeze in a quickie for you."

"S-Seph, please," Cloud reasoned, "the kids will be home from school soon."

Cloud loved Sephiroth, and vice versa, but sometimes Cloud had to wonder if it was true what they said about the average male hitting their sexual peak at adolescence. Cloud was twenty-six years old—Sephiroth was sixteen years older than him, and he was just as much a horndog as the next random angsty teenager on the streets.

_Well, they said_ average _male,_ he mused, _and Sephiroth isn't very average._

Sephiroth sighed. "Cloud, you're not even straight, and you sound like you're married."

Cloud groaned. Sephiroth often bitched about how the petty government was refusing gay marriage. In essence, this was one of those times.

"I have twenty of them, Seph, I need to keep a constant eye on them."

"Running that 'One-Man Orphanage' of yours is going to give you wrinkles," Sephiroth murmured, sliding his hands under Cloud's shirt. Cloud felt a jolt when Sephiroth played with his nipples.

_Seductive bastard, trying to sway me,_ he grumbled. Needless to say, it was working.

"Even if I looked like I was eighty, you'd still love me." Cloud pointed out. Sephiroth chuckled and kissed Cloud's neck a few times. Cloud groaned as the older man began to massage his torso, forcing him to relax.

"Sephiroth," he growled, trying to sound firm. _Besides_ down south in his pants.

Sephiroth sighed, and reluctantly drew back. "All right, fine. I know a warning when I hear it." Cloud pulled away a bit hastily and straightened out his clothes, trying desperately to ignore the half-hard bulge in his pants and grabbing his jacket, throwing it on.

"Marluxia says I'm your best client since Zexion," Cloud mentioned, at a loss for what to turn the conversation to. Sephiroth snorted and leaned on Cloud's vanity dresser.

"Zexion was thirty-five years old. He was well past retirement when I replaced him with you." Cloud gave a noncommittal nod, listening to Sephiroth talk as he gathered up his bag of things. "The average shelf life of a model is ten to fifteen years, Cloud. You've got plenty of years ahead of you before you can take all your savings and live the good life."

The silver-haired man smiled. "Even now, hardly anyone knows about what you used to be, or where you grew up."

Cloud grew distant for a moment when Sephiroth mentioned it. Yes, that was true, too. Cloud was a mystery to the press—even parts of his past were slightly fabricated, just to throw them off the scent of a sob-story. Cloud didn't like being fawned over just because someone felt sympathy for him. When asked, he often gave away that his parents had died when he was young—that was fact. He also gave out that he'd been raised by a friend of the family—that was also fact. Then he would tell them he grew up in a small village called Dali. That was fact _before_ his parents died.

The real story was that Cloud Strife, the hottest new model in the magazines, one of the greatest new successes in the modern world, had been orphaned by a double-homicide at five years old. He was raised by a woman named Sister Rosalyn, his mother's childhood friend, who ran the Esthar Village Orphanage just west of his hometown, Dali. Who knew?

And Cloud liked to keep it that way. For the most part, the memories of his past were now suppressed, and he'd moved past the death of his parents. He had a virtual mansion in the northern part of Alexandria, where all the golf courses and rich people were, and he took care of orphans and foster children just like him, making sure that others who had been taken or shunned from their families had a chance at life like he did. And Sephiroth was the greatest lover he'd ever met in his life, both in and out of bed. Cloud liked things this way. It was everything he'd ever wanted, and he'd gotten here all on his own.

"So are you ready to go, love?"

"What, are you following me out?" Cloud asked.

Sephiroth shrugged. "Nobody is out in the halls; Marx long since left. I thought I might accompany you."

Cloud slung his bag over his shoulder and opened the door, after he and Sephiroth shared a brief, passionate kiss. "All right then, let's go."

Sephiroth nodded, and they walked down the halls together, talking a little, but for the most part remaining quiet and enjoying each other's company. Cloud would allow Sephiroth to escort him until they reached the floor with Sephiroth's office, and then he would do the rest of the journey alone.

But the blond froze the minute they got to the elevator, and Sephiroth pressed the call button for it. He stared at the closed doors, his eyes dulling, the world around him melting. He felt a surge of primal adrenalyne rush through him, and he gripped the strap of his gym bag a little tighter. Sephiroth turned and saw his reaction, and squeezed his arm reassuringly.

"Aren't you glad I offered to come with you now?"

Cloud just nodded wordlessly, paralyzed by fear. The one reason why he hated this building. You couldn't take the stairs. Sephiroth was ordering construction to put some in, so some parts of the old complex were closed off for construction, but for now the elevator was all that they had. Cloud hated that elevator. In fact, he hated enclosed spaces of any kind. Claustrophobia had haunted him since the night his parents died.

The elevator made a ding sound to signify its arrival, and Sephiroth slid his hand down to Cloud's, grasping it and drawing him in. Cloud sucked in a sharp breath.

"Calm down. It's only a ten-second ride."

"To _your_ floor," Cloud groaned.

"No, to _yours_." Sephiroth corrected. "I know how you are. We're going to the main floor first."

Cloud just suppressed another distressed moan as he got into the elevator, and Sephiroth pressed the button for the main lobby. He swallowed, and managed to croak out a "Thank you". He was just glad there were no other people in the elevator, because that just made it worse.

When the doors slid shut and the elevator began to sink down through over twenty floors, Cloud closed his eyes and stepped back until he'd found the body of his lover, and pressed flat against it like a brace. Sephiroth wound his arms around Cloud's torso and held him as the blond struggled to control his breathing. _It's just an elevator,_ he told himself, _it's just a machine. The walls are _not_ going to close in around you…_

Thinking it made Cloud's imagination spiral out of his control, though. He bit his lip, the drone of the whirring machinery taking over his brain. Pulling him backwards through time to that horrifying night when he was a child.

"_Stay in here, Cloud!"_

"_Mommy? What's going on?"_

"_Never mind, honey! Just stay in the closet, and whatever you do, don't come out!"_

"_But why? Mommy!" The closet door slammed shut. It was the first bang that rang in his ears. Then the screaming and gunshots. He ducked to the ground, his hands covering his head when bullet holes made the lamplight flood into the closet. Cloud could hear his own breathing and the silent whimpers he made. Heavy booted footsteps clambered through the house, and he heard the stranger outside tearing the kitchen apart._

"_Why isn't Daddy stopping him?" he thought. "Where's Mommy?"_

"_Here it is. Eric, you sneaky fucker. You hid it." He heard the sound of cocaine shaking in a plastic bag, _(Although he hadn't known it was drugs at the time)_ and then the stranger left. Cloud didn't leave that closet, traumatized by the gunshots._

"_Eric and Jessica Strife," said the policeman, "Murdered at twelve-thirty A.M. approximately._

_Then the door opened, and Cloud looked up with tears streaming down his cheeks into the face of Sister Rosalyn, who gasped in shock. "Officer…Officer! Their son is alive!"_

_**Ding.**_

"Cloud," Sephiroth whispered gently. "Cloud, you can stop suffocating my arm now."

Cloud snapped his eyes open and swallowed, his mouth dry, turning a little pink as he thrust his arm down and glued it to his side. The moment those doors came open, he flew out into the open space, and then he stopped to sigh. He hated elevators.

"Marluxia wants you for another photoshoot on Monday at noon," Sephiroth informed him. "Get home safe, Cloud."

Cloud turned around, and said, "Thank you, Sephiroth." His lover/manager smiled at him, then pressed the button for his floor and the doors closed. Cloud turned on his heel with another relieved sigh, and went out into the parking lot, unlocking the doors to his shiny vintage '88 Cadillac. Then he got in and drove home. Cars were the only exception to his claustrophobia that he could think of; he'd been sitting in the back seat of them all his life, and started driving at sixteen. Cars he was used to. Elevators, closets, crawlspaces and others…he loathed.

* * *

"Owww!" 

"_Chicken-Wuss!_ Quit runnin' into the glass doors and sit on the couch like I freaking told you to!"

Thirteen-year-old Zell glared at Seifer, the nineteen-year-old adopted orphan in charge of the other seventeen children, along with Raijin, eighteen, and Fuujin, also eighteen.

"You never let me have any fun!"

"Too bad, now sit on the couch like the rest of you little buggers."

Fuujin pointed to one of the various large couches in Cloud's mansion living room. "SIT," she ordered. Zell didn't try to deny Fuujin. She spoke very little, but her one-worders were always clear enough. Scattered around the decorative room on the couches were children ranging in age from ten to teenager. Seifer, Raijin and Fuujin were the oldest, and took care of them all while Cloud was gone.

Seifer was gritting his teeth impatiently. _Where the hell is he?_ He wondered. _He should be home by now. It's a fucking zoo here._

"Man, they're all restless, ya know?" Raijin grumbled.

"CLOUD, WHERE?" Fuujin demanded.

"Yay! Daddy's in the driveway!" cried a little girl.

"_Finally_." Groaned Seifer.

The minute Cloud walked into the house, his eyes widened as he shut the door behind him and he was pummeled by little children. He shouldn't have been surprised, he was used to this. But he still smiled at them all.

"Hey, did you guys miss me?"

"We missed you a lot!" cried Olette.

"Cloud, Zell was starting up fights again!"

"Was not!" shouted the blond. "Stop lying, Mikoto!"

"Animals," Seifer sighed. "Cloud, that shoot was longer than we expected."

"I'm sorry," Cloud apologized over the noise. "I didn't mean to leave you here with them, Seifer. Marluxia couldn't stop flashing the camera."

"I'll bet." Seifer snorted. "Man, we haven't eaten yet. It's six-thirty. Let's cook something."

Cloud just nodded, and dropped his bag by the door, putting his thumb and forefinger in his mouth and giving a loud whistle. "All right, everyone! Settle down!"

Instantly, the children dulled to a quiet chatter. "Now," Cloud began, "What would we all like to eat tonight?"

"Pizza!"

"Macaroni and cheese!"

"Pancakes!"

"Eggs!"

"_Cake!_"

"All very good suggestions, except for cake." Cloud smiled. "Let's take a vote. It'll be between steak and potatoes, smoked salmon, and lasagna. The vegetable is lima beans. All for steak and potatoes?"

Cloud counted when the children raised their hands on each vote. "Okay, it looks like steak and potatoes wins." He announced. Some children groaned, but Cloud cut them off.

"Who wants kitchen duty?"

Fuujin patted her chest. "COOK."

"Yeah, I'll help cook too, ya know!"

"I've got taste-testing!" Zell blurted.

Olette raised her hand. "Me and Pence can do clean-up."

"Yeah," Pence added, "And Mikoto can help with the dishes!"

"Sure, I can do that."

Cloud made note of all this mentally (which he was good at doing by now). "The night's planned, then. I'll do most of the cooking, and the ones who'll be helping can set the tables."

* * *

Cooking never took very long in Cloud's house. With him and two others helping with the food, it was like speed-cooking. There were four tables, each lined up with two to a row in the dining room, seating plenty of room for ten. Since they were age-determined, all the children younger than fifteen sat at the "Kiddie Table" (even though that table looked the same as the other). Cloud sat with the older children, where all the food was spread out on dishes. 

"Mmmmm, this looks yummy!" Olette commented.

"Nobody grab for it," Cloud warned, giving blond-haired, sixteen-year-old Zidane a glare. "And no stealing food." He held out his hands on the table. "Now let's join hands and say Grace. Who wants to say the dinner prayers?"

"It's my turn!" blurted a little ten-year-old girl.

"No it's not!"

The moment opposition began to sprout, Cloud quickly took over before it could escalate. "Vivi, let Jenevieve say Grace."

Everyone joined hands, and little Jenevieve recited the standard child's prayer: "God is great, God is good, and we thank Him for our food! Amen!" Most of the older children found themselves saying quick, more elaborate prayers in their heads before passing the food around.

The phone rang just as everyone got really into the grub. Cloud grumbled and rubbed a throbbing ache from his temple, and started to get up.

"I'll answer it." Seifer offered, beating him to the punch. Cloud didn't object, sitting back down to eat. In the kitchen, he could hear Seifer politely turning down a press call, and then furiously shouting at them when they refused to leave. When he came back, he was shaking his head.

"I swear, they just won't leave you alone."

"I have twenty children in a mansion and I'm making thousands a year being a model." Cloud stated, eating a bite of steak. "Of course they won't leave me alone. I'm too much of an oddball."

"NOT ODD." Fuujin grunted. "KIND."

"Thank you, Fuu." Replied Cloud. He suddenly gasped, though, shooting up in his seat. It dawned on him then that newspaper people calling them was not a good thing. "Wait, the press called! Seifer, go close the—"

"Already shut every curtain in the house." Seifer told him. "Relax, Cloud. We've got everything covered."

"What about the doorbell?"

"I unwired it, ya know. I'll put it back around midnight, ya know."

"The doors?"

"LOCKED."

Only then did Cloud relax and lean back in his seat. It was bad enough as it was with the neighborhood police on a constant watch from afar for any solicitors on his property, but nothing ever stopped the tabloids, and Cloud had long since learned to put the house under a virtual Defcon Five promptly before meal time. It had been that way ever since the number of children had begun to pile on. Seifer, Fuujin and Raijin were the three he'd been caring for the longest, and so they were most used to the Defcon routine.

After food was consumed, Olette, Pence and Mikoto cleaned up the kitchen and the rest of the children spent the night playing. Cloud didn't collapse on one of the living room couches until after nine-o'clock, when all the ten- and twelve-year-olds went to bed. He'd been wondering about the seniority he'd put in the house, but he didn't press it; Sister Rosalyn had the same system when he was at her orphanage, and it worked just fine for him. Besides, the teenagers were all much quieter. They spent their time playing video games.

Cloud found himself falling asleep on the couch until Seifer sat near his stomach and shook him. "You okay?"

"I'm _tired_." Cloud sighed, nudging Seifer's hand away.

"Well, you know, one day the three of us are going to move out."

Cloud groaned and rolled over. "Seifer, let me sleep."

"How are you going to take care of them when we move?"

Cloud moaned louder and literally pushed Seifer off the couch with his butt, tugging a pillow down over his head. Seifer frowned, but he didn't do anything more. He was concerned. He didn't understand why Cloud took it upon himself to look after so many kids. Like now, it seemed to Seifer that he could barely keep up. God knows when he and Fuujin moved out, they weren't planning to have this many kids. It didn't escape Seifer that even though Cloud adopted them, they still weren't related. He hadn't told Cloud, though. He knew the poor man would have an anneurism if he found out.

Fuujin squeezed Seifer's shoulder. "CLOUD, SLEEP."

Seifer shook his head. "I guess so. Hey, Rai," Seifer turned to his dark-skinned, adoptive brother, "Put the teenies to bed in an hour at ten. Me and Fuu are goin' up to do homework."

Raijin waved a dismissive, meaty hand, absorbed in a game of Tekken with Zell. "Got it, ya know."

Seifer and Fuujin then retreated upstairs, Seifer looping his arm around Fuujin's waist once they were on the second floor and going to his room. All the little kids slept in the two upstairs bedrooms save for the Master one that was Cloud's, and Seifer, Fuu and Rai had the third upstairs room to themselves. The teenies all had the two bottom bedrooms and a little bit of the basement.

Once they were in their bedroom, Seifer sighed and fell onto his bed. "Cloud's in way over his head. It's a miracle he can afford to pay for us all."

Fuujin lay down next to Seifer, her pale hair falling away to reveal the patch she had over her eye. She had lost it in an accident, and it was healing up with stitches underneath. Seifer had known Fuujin when she had both eyes. He still thought she was beautiful.

"Cloud works hard." Fuujin whispered, her voice a little softer. Around Seifer, and only around Seifer—sometimes Cloud—did she form even half-complete sentences. The rest of the time, it was one-worders and facial expressions.

"I know, that's what I'm saying." Seifer growled. "What's he going to do when the money stops coming in? What if he gets fired or his pay goes down? He's got a lot of risks prodding at his back with spears and he's just walking the God damn plank. He's so reckless."

"Cloud loves us." Fuujin said gently.

"I _know_ Cloud loves us," groaned Seifer. "But he's stressing himself out way too much. He's gotta stop being charitable and think for himself for a change." He stared at the ceiling, pulling at his face with his hands after a heavy sigh. "Just because he lost his chance at childhood…"

Fuujin glared at Seifer. "PAST. BAD. DON'T MENTION."

The blond let his arms flop to the bed. "Sorry."

His girlfriend softened immediately, kissing his cheek. "You're stressed."

"Fuck yeah I'm stressed!" Seifer looked at Fuujin. "I just took care of the monsters for two hours today, and I ate late! I've been doing that more and more lately!"

"Cloud works hard." Fuujin repeated.

Seifer moaned. "Fuujin, he's doing less and less of the babysitting and more and more of the work."

Fuujin frowned. "Cloud makes money. Cloud supports us. Cloud works hard."

"I make money and support us, too, and so do you and Rai!" Seifer shook his head. "Our extra money is the only reason he's _keeping_ all of us, you know. One day he's going to have to take care of all of them himself."

"Cloud will manage."

When Fuujin hugged him and gave his neck a kiss, Seifer rolled his eyes, sighing. "You have a hell of a lot of faith in that flaky blond," he commented.

"Cloud works for us. Cloud watches us. Hard time finding balance." Fuujin nuzzled Seifer's neck. Seifer gave up and wrapped an arm around her waist, squeezing her to him.

"You know, Fuu, in a weird kinda way, you're good with words."

Fuujin just shrugged and kissed Seifer on the lips. "I try."

* * *

Cloud woke up to the downstairs floor being silent. And dark. 

He blinked and sat up, looking around him. There was a note right in front of him in Rai's handwriting, and when he checked his watch, it was one in the morning.

_Kids are all in bed. Don't sleep all night on the couch. We all love you, Cloud. –Rai_

_P.S. Your boss called and said something about a reschedule._

The blond was a little disappointed by the postscript. So Sephiroth wouldn't be coming over tomorrow. He let out a heavy breath of air, crumpling the note and throwing it away, and quietly picking up the video game consoles and controllers, cleaning up after the kids' mess, and doing the same as he picked up all the stuffed animals in the upstairs hallway. Once the house was clean, Cloud went into his bedroom and became a recluse, turning on the computer from standby. When he was logged back on and had Internet, he got pinged by an IM almost instantly.

**GrieversKeepers: **You're up late.

Cloud stared at the screen name, and it made him smile. Grievers always seemed to pick up his mood. He typed back, his blue text filling the chat window. He was too lazy to use proper grammar this early on a Saturday morning.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **im tired and im restless. u r up late too, G.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** And now everyone knows who Riddlez is! 


	16. Ch 16: The Phone On Hold

**Author's Notes:** Hey guys! Sorry for the slight wait. I hit a teensy little writer's block. But now that I've gotten another thought out of my head that was blocking my writing energy, it's all good! I had a little trouble doing some quick transitions here. The chapter is short, but it's all cool, mi amigos. Now I'm just trying to work my way up to the juicy bits. We've already seen a lot of development, but now we're going to start to hit a bit of a downhill slope. So expect some chapters with some downtime from the action and plot.

Now, there are a few issues here I'd like to respond to that everyone should see, because I'm just so damn haughty and proud of myself, and so on and so forth. And I love my reviewers!

**_ NINETY-ONE FREAKING REVIEWS._** You are ALL awesome. I think SOMEBODY deserves a cookie. Cookies for all!

**Echo the Insane: **Not enough reviews? (points to the number above) Do you hear this person? They say I deserve more! Mooooore! Someone stop me, I'm going on an ego trip!

**Aesura: **Just a quick response, both to her/him and to everyone else: Yeah, Cloud will fit in later to the major plot. Not just yet, but you'll see how.

**Chibi Maddi Chan:** I know it seems like Tidus is doing the majority of the work right now, but you'll see that pretty soon, Sora will be left with all the work. This isn't, after all, a Riku/Tidus story, although at the moment it seems to be the case. Tables will turn, tables will turn.

Again, guys - thank you SO much for all of your support, and I hope you enjoy my finally updating!

* * *

Chapter 16

_"The Phone On Hold"_

After the Monday photoshoot, Cloud finally cracked down on the work and decided it was time for a break. He asked Sephiroth to give him a vacation, knowing he would get it whether or not he asked. And he spent most of the day afterwards at home looking after the mansion. Since Fuujin and Raijin were on their work shifts during the day, Seifer hung around with Cloud.

"I really was serious when I told you about moving out a while back."

"I know..." Cloud sighed as he picked up the video games scattered around the giant living room. "I know, Seifer. You, Fuu and Rai are growing up. I understand you can't stay here forever."

"So you should start thinking about what you're going to do with these little monsters when we're gone..."

Cloud simply put away the video games and then looked at Seifer. "I'll think about it. When you're packing up."

Seifer frowned. "That kinda thinking's not going to get you anywhere."

"It got me where I am today." Cloud said. "Moving with the current, snatching my chances. Maybe sometimes I took them from others, but in this modern world, you have to take things when they're in front of you, regardless of the opposition."

Seifer sat down on the couch, and grabbed his glass of water, sipping from it. "Sounds like a dog-eat-dog world. You a fan of Social Darwinism?"  
Cloud shrugged and combed his fingers through his half-flat spikes of hair. "Maybe. Darwin never believed in what Social Darwinism stands for. If he ever heard it was named after him, he'd throttle the inventor of the term."

"You don't know that."

"Perhaps not, but several of my science teachers did." Cloud gave Seifer a brief smirk, and Seifer just snorted.

"I'm going upstairs for a little while. You can help yourself to the food in the pantry. There's still leftovers from last night, if you want that, in the fridge."

"I always help myself to the food," Seifer told him. Cloud nodded dismissively as he walked to the stairs and began to climb up them.

"So I've noticed, with all the Pop-Tarts disappearing."

Seifer drank from his glass. "Hey, if the kiddies won't eat them, I'll eat 'em up for them." He grinned. "I really like the berry ones. Buy more of those."

Cloud chuckled, a little bemused at the moment. "I'll keep it in mind." He disappeared up the stairs then, retreating into his room. He went straight back to the computer, and began typing.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez:** sorry. had to clean.

**GrieversKeepers:** np. work is slow.

Cloud smiled. Probably was. Not many people stopped by every day to adopt foster children. His fingers clicked away on the keyboard.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez:** i can imagine. how is that one kid you're so worried about?

**GrieversKeepers:** his friends are worried. I told them to keep an eye on him.

**GrieversKeepers:** he's getting along much better with one of them in particular now.

Responses were quick as always. More typing.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **that's good. He sounds like hes doing okay.

**GrieversKeepers: **i received a call for him yesterday. It was a woman, i thought she was trying to foster him, so i had to tell her his papers were already filed.

**GrieversKeepers: **she sounded disappointed. she asked for his current address.

Here Cloud's smile creased downward instead. That was a little odd. Maybe it was an old contact of the boy's, a past foster parent. Grievers never told him if this kid had been previously adopted; just that at the moment, his situation wasn't so good. He asked next:

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **did you ever think it was a past foster parent?

**GrieversKeepers: **Riku was never fostered by another.

**GrieversKeepers: **his current foster is the only one who took him.

_Even stranger! _Cloud mused. _That's weird. I've never heard of that before. I wonder if...? Nah..._

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **did she say who she was exactly?

Grievers didn't respond right away, but when he did, it was even more of a puzzle.

**GrieversKeepers: **she just asked for his address.

**GrieversKeepers: **i gave it to her because she sounded like she would rip my lungs out if i didn't. She was a really aggressive caller.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **aggressive? what if she wants to hurt him?

**GrieversKeepers: **relax.

**GrieversKeepers: **She more or less told me she knew him from the time he was young.

**GrieversKeepers: **might have been an old friend of his original family.

Hmmm. Cloud leaned back in his seat, sighing. He couldn't think of how to respond to that. He wasn't much of a talker, even online. Grievers often started their conversations first.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **its kind of boring here.

**GrieversKeepers: **so get up and do something.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **nothing to do. Whole house is spotless.

There was a long pause from Grievers again. Cloud waited in anticipation. Maybe he had an idea of something they could do to pass the time. It seemed like Grievers didn't have much to do at work, either. And Cloud _had_ no work today. When the chat window pinged, Cloud read the message.

**GrieversKeepers: **you know, we've been talking for about three years now

**GrieversKeepers: **maybe we should try voice.

Voice? Cloud had never thought of that before. Mainly because the aspect of talking made him nervous. Most people recognized his face, and the tabloids were constantly trying to bug his phone. He couldn't call a family member now without being even a little bit nervous. He was lucky his cell phone remained safe. He'd never thought about Internet Voice before because he never used that feature.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **is it logged?

**GrieversKeepers: **probably.

Cloud winced. Bad. He didn't put it past hackers to try and get into his computer. People were always itching for new material these days; until they found the next big story, Cloud was paranoid as hell, and this was one of those times. But he thought about it. What was the worst that could happen? Sleeping with Sephiroth (which was true, although he wouldn't admit it to the fucking tabloids), promoting his career, add secret lover, mix well. Result would be a hearty, rich-in-lies Piece of Bullshit for a crowd.

Ugh. Whatever. He was starting to care less and less the more and more it agitated him.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez:** lets give it a shot. How about right now?

**GrieversKeepers: **not now, i'm at the agency. My boss will kill me.

He wasn't surprised. Grievers seemed to be a serious worker, especially if he was at the workplace. So Cloud agreed that they would try later when the both of them were free that night. He was satisfied with just chat and relaxation for now. But he wondered what Grievers sounded like...?

* * *

"So wait...back up from the start, Sora. This kid hurts you, tries to kill your friend, and you're _still_ hangin' out with him?"

"Um, yeah, I know it sounds weird, but..." Sora looked over his shoulder at Riku and Tidus, working together on a school project. "He's..._okay_."

Kairi didn't sound convinced. "You're worryin' me, Sora. You sure it's safe to hang out with him?"

_That's a very good question,_ Sora thought. He'd been asking himself the same question for the past several days. Just to make sure the teen wasn't ripping up havoc, he checked over his shoulder again. Another surprise. Riku was smiling. It got contagious, and Sora ended up smiling, too._ Riku's got a nice smile,_ he mused. _Maybe people would like him more if he just showed a little white._

It seemed like ever since Riku had begun working on the project with the two of them for a school contest, he was much more quelled in the anger department. Sora had even seen him laugh a couple of times today, and he was starting to change his opinion of the guy. He wasn't half bad when he wasn't trying to snap your spine. Still, Sora had been very cautious, knowing Riku's moody tendencies. He wasn't sure how long "this side of Riku" would last.

"Well, for now he looks like he's fine." Sora said, talking into his house phone (which was finally hooked up). "I don't think I have anything to worry about. He's very handsome, maybe I'll send you a picture."

Kairi laughed. "Only pictures I wanna see are ones of you, Sora."

Sora's cheeks turned a little pink. "Okay, I'll send you my school photo!" he chuckled.

"School photo? Yuck! Gimme one of you when you visit a beach...I'll bet you'd look sexy in a pair of swim trunks." Kairi made a purring sound. "Mmm...I'm thinkin' red."

Sora grinned and countered it. "Red like your hair?"

"Hey, that's the perfect color!"

Tidus waved to him. "Sora, come on, you've chatted long enough! Come do some real work in here, would you?"

"Oh, I gotta go, Kairi." groaned Sora. "I've got a project I'm working on..."

"Aww, s'awright, huuun. I'm glad you called me, you're so sweet."

Sora smiled, savoring the sound of her thick southern accent. This was technically a long-distance call, so he wouldn't get to hear her voice very often.

"Just remember: I love you."

"Aww, I love you too, baby." said Kairi sweetly. "Call me again soon, mm'kay?"

"I'll try," Sora said. His smile widened. "I'll talk to you later, Kairi."

"Bye, babe!" And with that, Sora hung up. When he walked into the kitchen, the table was littered with glitter, glue, poster board, scraps, and anything else crafty that one could think of.

"So how's it coming so far?"

"Just fine, without you." Riku teased. "Did I hear you call me handsome?"

Sora blinked. "Um...why, is that a surprise?"

"Well, maybe, considering you were telling your little friend about me."

"Is...that a surprise?"

Tidus nudged Riku across the table. "Don't worry...Riku's just so used to being jeered at that whenever someone complements him, he freaks."

"Shut up, what's wrong with a question now and then, huh?" Riku shoved Tidus back, and the blond just laughed. Sora sat down with them and picked up a glue stick.

"Well, it's true though. You look nice."

Tidus and Riku exchanged grins, and then looked at Sora.

"Hey Country Boy, you _do_ remember I'm gay, right?"

Hearing that from Riku made Sora turn red. He'd taken partial to calling him Country Boy. "Baby", "Hun", "Country Boy"...only family and Tidus seemed to call him by his real name now. It was a little strange sometimes, but he said nothing about it.

"W-Well...I..."

"Who were you talking to, by the way?" Tidus asked.

Sora picked up a piece of paper to glue onto the board that had a picture of a superhero on it. "Huh? Oh..." he shrugged, smearing the glue on the back. "Just a friend from home."

"Well, be sure to tell him or her that I'm not on the market." Riku joked.

Tidus looked at Riku in surprise. "Wow...you know, Riku, I've never seen you this happy. What changed your attitude?"

Riku shrugged. "Am I not allowed to get a pick-up once in a while?"

"I'm scared to know how long it's going to last."

Riku suddenly paused and his face dulled. Tidus watched his expression change, just as Sora looked up. The blond smirked.

"Uh-oh. See? He's already going back!"

"I am not!" Riku slapped Tidus' arm. "You aren't funny."

"Hey, ow! That hurt!"

Sora was a little lost in his own head. _A friend from home...? Is that what I called her?_

_

* * *

_

Riku just smiled at Tidus as the poor blond rubbed his arm. He was happy because he'd actually gotten away from the pain. The school project gave Ansem as good an excuse as any to miss being at home and to get the fuck away. However, he knew it wasn't going to be for very long. He'd pushed his buttons, and asked to stay for sleepovers. Now Ansem's patience was wearing thin. The day this project ended was the day his lust would boil over...and Riku knew he may be missing some school for it.

He tried not to think about it, but he knew it was there.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** By now you guys should have learned to pay attention to the chapters... Just a note to you. 


	17. Ch 17: Open Air

**Author's Notes:** Another short chapter. These things are all probably going to be short until we hit the major bridges again. Like I said: things are taking a little bit of downtime for a while. I guess we're not _completely _deprived of tension, as this chapter will prove, but there's definitely a lot less than there was in a couple of the previous chapters.

I'm trying to get as much of this story done before I go on vacation to Cancun on the sixteenth this month, because I don't know if I'll have Internet connection. If I happen to not have any, I'll be on a one-week hiatus. I know, that'll probably suck, so I'm going to try and give you guys as much food for thought before leaving you on a cliffie. It's not my fault I decided to go with my parents on a wicked-awesome vacation to a place where the waters are actually BLUE, it's just that...well...it's CANCUN!

Enjoy the chapter, anyhow. Thanks for your support!

* * *

Chapter 17

_"Open Air"_

"Thank you for helping with the dishes, Riku."

"No problem, Mrs. Tilmitt." Riku handed her another clean plate. "I don't mind at all."

"You know, you're not so bad," Lisa said with a smile. This didn't, of course, stop her from scolding Sora when Riku first came here, and she'd had half a mind to tell Riku to go back home. But when Sora and Tidus explained to her it was for a project, at first that became her reason for letting him stay. But now she was starting to wonder where the violent Riku had gone. She liked this one much better. Even Selphie had completely forgotten about when he had slapped her brother so hard that he bruised, and by now Tidus was almost completely healed.

"I try," Riku said with a shrug. Lisa smiled.

"Well, you keep on trying, honey, you're doing a great job!"

Riku smiled at her, and if Lisa were younger and not married, she would swoon. What a handsome smile! Who ever knew it was there when he was always scowling?

"I think I'm going to go rejoin my friends now. They're probably having fun without me."

Lisa laughed. "So go jump in!" she encouraged. Riku nodded.

"Yeah, I think I will." He scaled up the stairs, and indeed, Sora and Tidus were having a pillow fight. Riku smiled as he shut the door behind him, Sora laughing as he held his hands up to block Tidus' thumping him on the head with his pillow.

"Hey, what are you two doing, having a pillow fight without me? Some friends."

"You volunteered for the dishes, I just took advantage of it!" Sora laughed, rolling over onto his stomach. "Careful, Tidus is lethal with the down-feather ones!"

"_Fluffy White Pillow of Doom!_" Tidus declared, fluffing the thing in his arms.

"So what are we going to do now, since I missed the pillow fight?" Riku asked. Tidus and Sora looked at each other, then at Riku, grinning.

"How about..."

Then _Holiday_ by Green Day began jingling out of Tidus' backpack in the corner of Sora's room. Sora and Riku both looked at it, and Tidus hopped up.

"Got it! It's just my cell phone." He looked over at them. "Um, you guys don't mind if I take this, right?"

"Don't take forever like Sora did!" Sora rotated his eyes around and shot Riku a withering glare for that, his bottom lip puffed out in what had become his little trademark pout. Tidus flipped open his cell.

* * *

"Speak!"

"We have a problem."

Tidus didn't react physically to this, other than starting to walk out of the room. "What do you mean, a problem?"

"The buzzard won't leave the nest."

"_What?_"

"Ansem's cooped up in his house!"

"Okay, okay, okay." Tidus turned a corner, missing the frown Riku sent him. "But you got a few days off his schedule, right? You've been faking this since Thursday last week."

"I got Thursday, Friday, and that's it. And I think he's getting really antsy, Tidus. He almost caught me lookin' out my window a couple of times."

"I'm not surprised," Tidus said, dropping his voice to a murmur as he slowly prowled the halls back and forth. "Riku's gone a while without going back. He probably misses his favorite little toy."

"Riku is not a toy!"

"But Ansem thinks he is," Tidus whispered. "Okay...here's the plan..." and Tidus went on to explain to Roxas how they would go through with this. From the beginning, Tidus had considered a third man for the job, and that was mostly why he set the stage for a bond to forge between Riku and Sora. If they could get Sora to help with this, it would be cakewalk. Tidus explained how they would have to wait until a Friday, since their chances would be highest then—Ansem was gone during the day the longest. They would break in through Riku's room, wait until both Riku and Ansem were gone, then they would search the house for evidence. If all went well, they would have the whole day to tear the place apart if they had to and come back out unscathed with perfect proof. It was very sketchy, but Tidus assured Roxas that if they did it right, it would work, even if it was during broad daylight.

"This is more like flying by the seats of our pants," Roxas remarked. "It's not much of a plan. And how the hell are we gonna stay home on Friday?"

"Edea's going to leave early in the morning for work at the office, around seven." Tidus said. "You could sleep over at my place. As far as your parents know, we'll have happily been driven to school."

"I'm going to murder you if my grades drop."

"Oh, quit your bitching," groaned Tidus, "Anyway, we can probably find a ladder and circle around the backs of the houses to the side window in Riku's room..."

"What about my room?"

Tidus whirled around and paled, eyes wide. Roxas said something to him on the phone, but he slapped it shut in his hand and didn't hear it.

Riku had his arms crossed, giving him a firm glare. Clearly, he was none too happy about what he'd heard. Wait...what _had_ he heard? Tidus gulped.

"H-How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough." Riku growled. "You're not going anywhere near my house. Got it?"

Tidus just stared blankly at Riku, frozen. _Fuck, that wasn't part of the plan!_

Riku yanked the blond up close to him, his hands grasping Tidus' shoulders. "Tidus," he hissed, his voice low. It was barely even a whisper. "If you go in there, I swear to God, I will make you go home with missing teeth. _Do you got that straight?_"

"But—" Riku shook him.

"_No!_ No 'but's! You have _no_ idea what's in that house, Tidus!"

Tidus was blond, but he sure as hell wasn't stupid. And if Riku was going to start treating him like he was, well, he was in for a surprise. He narrowed his eyes at the teen squeezing his arms.

"Do you think you're trying to protect me from it? Whatever's in that house that I don't know about?"

Riku blinked. His grip loosened. He hadn't been expecting that.

"Riku," Tidus murmured, "It's obvious that Ansem is doing something to yo—"

_SLAP._

Riku hadn't slapped Tidus all that hard (not as hard as he had Sora, anyway), but the blond's left cheek still turned red as Riku's eyes turned hard and cold.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" he snapped. "Stay _out_ of there, you hear? If I find out you were snooping around, I'll scalp you!"

"_Riku!_" Sora shot his head out from inside the doorway, glaring at them both. "What the _fuck_ are you doing?" he hissed. "You were just starting to win my Mom over! Straighten up before she yells at all three of us!" He looked fleetingly at Selphie's bedroom door. "God, we're lucky my tattle-tale of a sister didn't see that! Christ!"

Tidus just rubbed his stinging cheek and walked back into Sora's room, and Riku followed after, eyes shut as he took deep breaths. The phone rang again the minute he was about to put it away. Tidus felt Riku's eyes burning laser holes into his back as he flipped it open, and murmured into it, "Call me later." And hung up.

For the rest of the night, he acted like he had dropped the whole plan, and eventually Riku's mood picked up again. But truth be told, Tidus didn't give up that easily. He was going to find proof of Riku's abuse, and he was going to do it with or without Riku's support. He didn't feel at all guilty for taking advantage of Riku's trust—this was a special exception. Besides, it was for Riku's benefit in the immediate future. If this worked, on Friday this week, Leon would have enough evidence to pull Riku out of Ansem's house and put him in a _real_ family. That, Tidus figured, was all that mattered at the moment.


	18. Ch 18: Familiar Things

**Author's Notes: **Mm'kay guys, this is it. Things start picking up after the next couple of chapters. You knew the valley wouldn't last long...

* * *

Chapter 18

_"Familiar Things"_

**Elsewhere That Night**

**GrieversKeepers:** So are you ready for this?

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **i guess so.

**GrieversKeepers: **k. hold on a sec.

Leon made sure that his computer mic was working again, and after a few tests, he clicked the "Voice" button in their chat window. The window made a ringing sound, and a picture with sound waves emanating from a phone showed up, captioned, "Waiting for **RiddlezindaMiddlez** to accept..."

After a second, the phone disappeared and he could hear the fuzzy drone of a microphone. Beside himself with some anticipation, Leon said nothing—besides, he was never good with starting conversations.

The silence went on far too long. All he heard on the other end of the line was a nervous cough. Leon swallowed and decided it would be up to him.

"Hello?"

"Oh!" Riddlez replied, "Er, hi."

There was a pause, and then Leon smirked. "You're a _guy._"

"You thought I was a _girl?_"

"Well, no good way for me to tell, is there?" retorted Leon. Riddlez laughed. Leon cleared his throat, sighing quietly. Actually, that was a bit of a relief. He wouldn't want to deal with a girl over the Internet. He wasn't into Internet dating, and besides that, well...not that he _didn't_ like to date girls, but he preferred men. Yep...that was his best, pathetic reason.

"You sound different from what I imagined." commented Riddlez.

"So do you." Leon replied. Riddlez chuckled again.

"This feels weird."

_You're telling me,_ Leon thought._ You sound damn sexy._

Leon did a backtrack on that thought, and shook his head. _Knock it off. You don't even know where this guy lives. And you know long-distance won't work..._

"You still alive over there?"

Leon was disrupted in thought and nodded, but remembered that Riddlez couldn't see that. "I'm still breathing, if that's what you mean."

"You're so _cynical_."

"And you're surprised?"

"Not really," said Riddlez, "You were the same even when you typed."

"Yeah, I guess I was."

Another long silence. The both of them coughed or cleared their throats at least twice.

Leon sighed. "I guess we're both not very talkative, huh?"

"It's because we're hearing each other." said Riddlez. "I think everyone always lets their guard down more when they're online. That's why parents always tell their kids to be careful. They think the Internet is the safest place in the world."

"Right, even though it's crawling with freakshows and pedophiles." Leon said sarcastically.

"Yeah...there are a lot of weirdos on here."

The brunet frowned. Thinking about pedophiles reminded him of Ansem, which in turn soured his mood a bit. He pushed the thoughts out of his head, trying to focus more on talking with Riddlez. Who still sounded sexy.

"Hmmm..."

"What?" Riddlez asked.

"Nothing. I'm trying to think of something to talk about."

Riddlez chuckled. "Don't bust a brain cell," he joked. Leon just grunted, and silence fell again. He shifted.

"I hope you're not too uncomfortable..."

"What, with silence? Hell, I _savor_ it. These kids shoot you through a hurricane trying to take care of them."

Leon smirked. Then he heard some shouting in the background—louder than the other shouting, that is. Next he knew, Riddlez was saying:

"Oh, shit. I'm sorry. I need to go."

"Something came up?" Leon assumed.

"Yeah, my boyfriend's here."

Leon's eyes widened. "You're gay, too?" he asked, surprised at himself for asking. Riddlez paused.

"...Yeah. Why? You're not homophobic, are you?"

"Not at all. I'm bi, myself. I'm just surprised." Leon's smirk returned. "Anything else I can find out about you in five minutes that I didn't know for three years?"

"Maybe not _now_. We'll try again on Wednesday, maybe? I'm free then."

Leon nodded. "Sure."

"Thanks. See you then, G!"

"Have fun on your date." Leon said, and Riddlez hung up after saying goodbye. Leon closed the window and then leaned back in his chair. Well, that went better than he'd anticipated. They'd actually said more than five words to each other. He let the clock tick by the minutes, before he paused and frowned.

Why did Riddlez's voice sound so familiar?

* * *

**Wednesday (Early Next Morning)**

Tidus blinked himself awake from his dreams, and sat up in his sleeping bag. He looked around Sora's room, and stifled a yawn, stretching. He checked the clock on Sora's bedside table, noting that it was almost four in the morning. And that he had a huge, unbearable urge to piss.

_Oh well. Nothing to do but take care of it,_ Tidus thought. He wiggled out of his sleeping bag, Sora snoring lightly in his bed nearby, and tiptoed his way out of the room into the hall. Making his way quietly down to the bathroom, he was a little confused to see a light flooding out from under the door. He paused, and knocked quietly—very quietly.

But someone still answered, and Tidus jumped back.

"Whoa. Riku." He murmured. "I thought you were still asleep."

"Not really." Riku whispered back. Tidus smiled.

"Well, are you done in there?"

"Sorry. I'll get out." Riku squeezed past Tidus, who thanked him, and went in. The door shut behind him as he did.

Riku didn't completely leave the hallway when Tidus went into the bathroom. Instead, he waited outside, picking a spot a little further down the hall and leaning against the wall. He stared in front of him at the picture of young Sora hung up and framed, a school picture of when the boy was roughly six. He had a goofy smile on his face and wasn't looking at the camera. He was very cute, Riku realized. And he wasn't half-bad looking even right now. But as things stood...well...

Riku frowned. He knew that today, he'd go back to Ansem's, and his dreams would be shattered again. He'd dreamt such good dreams while he was here, but he knew that on the horizon lay his doom, and that they would all go away—he would once again sleep a dreamless sleep, or wake up with the sheets of his too-small bed soaked in sweat, his heart pounding. He only had so much time left to savor his freedom, and it made Riku's heart turn to lead in his chest. He hated today, solely for the reason that he would soon be going back to his jailer's cell. Quite literally, if Ansem was mad enough.

He heard the toilet flush and a quick ten seconds of running water—Tidus must have washed his hands after. Riku smirked. Tidus was a mini-neat freak. If Sora ever left his room, Tidus would probably pick up all the clothes scattered around. He wasn't obsessive, but it was obvious enough. It was just one reason why Riku thought he was so...

Riku sighed enviously, just as Tidus came out of the bathroom, turning the light off and wiping remaining water droplets off his hands on his boxers (which he slept in, obviously). He blinked at Riku when he passed him in the hall and stopped.

"You comin' back to bed?" he asked.

When he didn't respond right away, Tidus turned his body to face him completely. "Riku? Are you feeling alright?"

Riku wasn't sure himself, actually. This day was just making him feel so pressured—like he had to hurry up and say something before it was too late. Make good of the time he had, the few precious hours allotted to him.

"Riku?" Tidus tilted his head. Riku turned his carribean gaze away.

"Tidus...about yesterday..." he licked his lips. "I'm sorry that I hit you."

Tidus was silent for a brief moment, but Riku took it as a good sign when the blond didn't lecture him.

"It's fine. I think I understand why you did that."

"No..." Riku shook his head. "No, you have _no_ idea."

Tidus was quiet, shaking his head, and Riku could hear him taking a long, slow breath, then letting it out in a sigh. "Riku," he said, "Are you going to keep hiding it from me when it's obvious that I already know?"

Riku's fingers twitched, and his chest rose and fell with a heavy breath. He shut his eyes, swallowing dryly. Oh, God, that made his heart ache so bad. His chest hurt. Yes, that had scared him yesterday—Tidus _knew_. Whoever he'd been talking to knew. They _knew_ Ansem was hurting him. Riku understood it didn't take much to guess, but he'd always done so perfectly hiding it, covering it up, for _his_ sake. (That disgusting son of a bitch's sake.) How had they figured it out?

"You're scared, aren't you?"

The pressure was making him crack. Riku swallowed again, and allowed himself to nod. He was working hard to control his breathing, trying not to sound like he was gasping or panting. He suddenly felt short of breath somehow. But it all went away when Tidus took his hand, and squeezed.

"Don't worry, Riku. We'll figure out a way to save you."

Riku looked up then, staring down at Tidus. " 'We'?" he asked, disbelieving. Tidus nodded.

"Me and Roxas..."

Riku shook his head, eyes widening in that moment. "Tidus, do you know what he's going to do if he _catches_ you?"

"It's a risk that I'm willing to take." Riku bit his lip, squeezing Tidus' hand. No! If Ansem hurt Tidus, he would never forgive himself! He would never forgive _him!_ Tidus was too beautiful, too innocent—he had no part of this. He wasn't deserving of Ansem's horrible games.

"I won't let him hurt you." (_And neither will Roxas or Sora,_ thought Tidus aside.)

"Tidus..."

The blond drew his hand back, looking up into Riku's eyes. "I just want to let you know, that we're going to do this, even if you threaten to tear us apart."

Riku felt that pang of aching again. He gulped, his eyes still a little bigger than normal. He drew breath in sharply through his nose, and suddenly reached out to Tidus. He couldn't stand it. There wasn't any time left. In the slim chance that Tidus succeeded, he would still never be able to tell him. So Riku cupped his palms to the blond's beautiful cheeks, and he kissed him.

* * *

Tidus wasn't sure how to take it. That was a _little_ more gratitude than he'd expected. Riku was definitely being more than a little overbearing, but Tidus said nothing and just stood still. Oddly, he didn't feel at all violated; it was just a little weird that his best friend since twelve years old was cupping his face and _kissing_ him. On the mouth. _Well, at least he's got the sense not to pull out his tongue._

He was actually tingling a little when Riku drew back, and Tidus cursed mentally when he realized something. _Damn it, Riku, you stole my first kiss!_ This was going to take months for him to live down. Well, on the bright side, at least his first kiss hadn't been a terrible one.

When it was over, his silvery-haired friend pulled him into a tight hug. The only thing Tidus could do was to hug him back, just for the sake of consoling him. He knew that Riku must be feeling like such a wreck—today he'd be going back into Ansem's care, and they wouldn't be open for liberating him until Friday. It was two days too long for Riku.

"I love you, Tidus," Riku murmured. "I've always loved you. Even though I know you're straight."

The last bit made Tidus laugh a little, but the pity made it get stuck in his throat. Poor Riku. It almost seemed like nobody had loved him for so long; he must feel so lonely. _Maybe I'll forgive him that kiss,_ he thought, _Riku seems to have been shouldering that for a long time._

"I love you too, Riku—as a friend." That was as gently as Tidus could break it to him in a short sentence. There wasn't really much breaking to be done. Riku had confessed to him in a way that said he understood their friendship would be nothing more than just that: friendship.

He felt Riku nodding when he nuzzled his shoulder, breathing deeply. Tidus squirmed a little.

"Come on, man. You need sleep. Besides, a straight man can only hug for so long."

That made Riku chuckle.

* * *

Riku dreaded as the hours in school ticked by. Sitting in fourth period Biology, all he could do was stare at the clock or stare out the window. Tidus and Sora were in different classes—he was alone again, just like he always was. Soon he would be picked up by Ansem, and they would grab his things from Sora's house, and then they would go home. Into the basement. 

He sighed and put his head down on the desk. He wanted to sleep—he wanted to sleep and die. He didn't want to go back, but he knew there was nothing that he could do about it. Again, more than ever, he was reminded of how much he hated Ansem, how he hated that house, but most of all, how he hated himself.

Right as the teacher was about to throw a piece of chalk at his head to wake him up, the P.A. system bleeped in their classroom.

"Mister Eisenhower?"

"Yes?" answered the teacher.

"May I please have Riku Lockheart in the Guidance Office?"

Riku's head shot up from the desk as his teacher said "of course." _Oh, God, no...they didn't!_

Tidus would never _tell the guidance counselor,_ would he?

"Riku? Fill out your agenda so I can give you a pass."

Riku froze. It took him several seconds before he shuffled around in his backpack for his school planner, and wrote out a pass for the teacher to sign. With sweat on his brow and a heavy heart, he walked down the halls to Guidance. _Oh God...oh, God, Tidus...how could you? Why? _He deliberately walked slowly, just to prolong the trip, trying to tell himself that the whole school was not just about to find out about his horrible life with Ansem. He would never live it down. Everyone would suddenly look at him with pity, and he would have to shoulder their sympathies like it was something he was supposed to appreciate. He would die inside. Everyone would see him differently just because he was abused. It was sick. It just reminded him of how flaky humanity was.

When Riku made it to Guidance, he stepped slowly into the room. All the students who were there stared at him, as though it were a shock he was here in the first place. Riku wasn't surprised. Then the woman stepped out who was the Guidance teacher for students with the last names M through L, Mrs. Leigh. She adjusted her coke bottle glasses, her blond hair long and frizzy.

"Riku?"

"Um...yeah." Riku nodded.

"Come with me." She put an arm behind his shoulders and led him back into her office. She then murmured under her breath, "There's someone here you might want to see."

Riku looked up at her and frowned. Someone here to see him? Who the hell?

Mrs. Leigh took him through the quiet halls, until they finally reached her door, and she opened it up. Riku stepped inside and stopped again. His eyes bulged, and he gasped softly.

Turning to face him was a young woman, only just in her late thirties, her hair long and brown and soft, her eyes the same color, her body built like a fighter's but not overly so. There were some scars on those beautiful arms, those arms that had held him when he was little. It made him tremble, it made his lip quiver. He gulped.

The woman smiled at him, and he was so stunned, he was so shocked, just to see her face. Her name tag read "TIFA".

"Hello, Riku."

Riku's planner slipped out of his sweating, trembling hands. His voice cracked as he spoke, his eyes welling up with tears.

"Mom?"

* * *

**Author's Notes:** DUN DUN DUUUNNNN! Just remember, guys, it won't all be Tidus-centered forever. Sora's going to get the attention pretty soon. 

And don't ask me how Tifa became his mother. That's just how it worked. (And I _refuse _to make Sephiroth his daddy, so don't anyone _think _that Seph is tied to Riku somehow here - sorry, but that's a plot that's been done to death.)


	19. Ch 19: The Layers of Years

**Author's Notes: **And so springs forth the first major push towards Riku/Sora.

Here we go! The hill's starting to go up! It's like riding a rollercoaster...

* * *

Chapter 19

_"The Layers of Years"_

Mrs. Leigh could sense these two hadn't seen each other in a while. She adjusted her glasses again, and nudged Riku forward. Riku just let himself be pushed. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was his _mother_.

"I'll leave you two alone, then." Leigh politely excused herself and closed the door behind her, to give them privacy.

Riku stared at his mother, and Tifa stared back. She held out her arms, spread like angel's wings, and smiled.

"Don't I get a hug?"

Riku swallowed hard, and rushed up to her, hugging her tightly. Tifa wound her arms around her trembling son, rubbing his back. Riku wrenched his eyes shut, his lip quivering. He sniffled and felt his eyes watering up.

"Oh, sweetie." Tifa shushed him and stroked his long silver hair. "Sssh. Sssh. I know." He was crushing her in his grip, but Riku didn't care. Seven years—_seven!_ He hadn't seen his mother in seven long, agonizing years. He had helped her pack her bags in that home, seven years ago when he was ten, where the carpets and walls smelled like tobacco smoke, and she never came back.

"Mom..." Riku whimpered, a tear streaking his cheek. "Mom, I've missed you so much!" He couldn't keep it up. His shield cracked further, and then it dropped. Tifa held him tight, sitting them down as Riku cried into her bosom. She hushed him and rocked him in her arms, just like she had when he was younger. Riku wept the hardest he'd ever cried in years; all the fear, the anger, the pain—it exploded when he ran to his mother's open arms.

"I'm so sorry, honey. I'm sorry I didn't win custody over you." Tifa soothed Riku's sobs as she spoke, her voice gentle and calm. "I wanted to find you after I left…after I made it in the world, I went looking for you. And here you are—oh, Riku, I've missed you, my baby." She kissed his head, getting choked up herself in the moment, salty rivers running down her face. Her son was shaking, and she breathed deep, gulping down a hard lump that had formed in her throat.

"Mom, why did you have to leave!" Riku took a shuddering breath, his eyes lined with red the more he cried. "Mom—"

"I'm here now, baby, I'm here." Tifa lifted his head up from her chest and kissed his cheek. "Oh, God, I'm so sorry. I know how your father is. I want you to hang in there. I'm going to demand custody as soon as my issues with the court are straightened out…"

Riku's teary, bright eyes widened. "C…Court?" he whimpered. "Mom, why are you going to court?"

Tifa tried to give her son her best, optimistic smile. "Well, there's this _bitch_ at the company I work for, and she's framed me for the thousands of company dollars that _she_ stole under the table…and now they think that her lover was involved, or that the boss was trying to sleep with me…it's such a mess. But I've got a good lawyer. I'll win the case."

"Mom…"

"It's all going to work out, Riku." Tifa stroked her son's cheek. "We'll be out of this mess soon, I promise."

Riku swallowed hard. "No…Mom…I'm not your son anymore."

It was Tifa's turn to be shocked. "What?"

"Dad…he disowned me."

Tifa coiled back. Her soft brown eyes flooded with anger and her face turned stern. "What? _When!_"

"A couple of years after you left…I told him I was gay, and…"

"That black-lunged, double-fisting son of a _bitch!_" Tifa clenched her fists, her teeth clenched. Riku continued to press up against her, breathing in the scent of her underlying perfume. Tifa never wore strong perfume, but Riku could still remember how she always smelled faintly of honey and spices. He closed his eyes, listening to his mother rant—happy just to hear her voice, and smell her familiar scent. God, he'd missed this so much.

"It's no wonder your address changed!" Tifa growled. "Who's taking care of you? Who's looking after my baby? I want to know!"

Riku suddenly drew back, and when he met with his mother's eyes, her expression didn't soften. He had a look of fear, eyes shimmering with an unexpected luster from crying. Tifa didn't like it.

"Riku?"

_You can't. You won't! He'll kill you!_

_She'll never tell… _Riku himself, at times like this, was often unaware of the schizophrenic switch between simply thinking on his own, and speaking to the Voice of Survival. Hearing the sharp conflicts in his mind between the Voice and his own thoughts, it was all he could do to keep himself from mumbling.

"Riku? Answer me, honey." Tifa put a hand on her son's shoulder. "Riku?"

He stared blankly at his mother's chest (it was the first thing he could think to focus on when speaking to the Voice), and after some moments of silence, he stood up.

"Mom," he murmured, "Mom, I…I'm, uh…" his eyes jerked nervously between left and right as he thought of how to break this to her. Even though he was sure there was nothing she could do, he had to share his pain with someone—anyone. Tidus and Roxas already knew; why not his mother, who had raised him since he had been born?

Tifa was already not liking the news. "Honey? What's the matter?"

Riku licked his lips and bit down on the bottom one, brow creased in shame as he looked down. He turned his head away, giving his mother a three-quarter view of his pained face as he slowly reached for the buttons of his polo shirt. Tifa wasn't sure what to think when her son undid the front of his shirt, button by button, nor was she sure how to ask what the hell was going on. Clearly, something had changed while she was gone—something big, that was stirring something inside her son that was making him act this way.

Riku looked up for a moment and checked the door, just to make sure nobody was spying. He thought he saw a flash of brown quills of hair, but he dismissed it as a trick of the light—no one was there.

When he was sure it was just him and his dear mother, he gulped down the frog-sized lump in his throat, his fingers nervously clutching his shirt.

_You won't do this, Riku!_

_She'll never tell._

Tifa was ghost-white when she saw the damage to her precious son, her brown eyes wide with absolute horror. Riku dropped his shirt off his shoulders, letting it pool around his elbows before it dropped to the floor. Once again, his head turned away shamefully, his eyebrows creased down as though he were humiliated to display himself.

There were scars everywhere. His arms were generally spared, but his torso was another story. The nipples were sore and red from being clamped; there were variously-sized red dots all over his pecs and stomach from wax burns; bruises on his shoulders and neck and sides; countless jagged scars from knives and still fresh scabs from being whipped. Tifa's hand drew up to her mouth and she touched her fingers to her lips, unable to soak in the entire view of the atrocity demonstrated before her. How could anyone do this to a boy and _walk free?_

"Riku," she whispered, "Who…?"

Riku kept his eyes on the floor. "My…foster father…Ansem."

Tifa stood up, approaching her little boy (her poor, battered, beautiful boy), and tentatively traced one of the scars on his chest. Riku closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

"That one is from the Slave Game."

Now Tifa was angry. "The 'Slave Game'?"

Riku shrunk his shoulders in and he hugged his own arms. "Ansem, he…"

Tifa's eyes narrowed. "He rapes you," she voiced, reading his mind. Riku's bottom lip quivered and he bit it sharply, on the brink of crying again, covering his face with one hand as he sniffled. He nodded his head weakly. Tifa wrapped her arms around Riku and hugged him tightly, boring holes of a mother's scornful rage into the wall behind him.

"How long?" she murmured.

"…Since I was thirteen."

A brief string of obscenities flew out of his mother's mouth; she ended it by hissing: "_Fuck!_" and clutching him protectively, as if shielding him from an invisible force that was ready to beat up her son some more. "How could this happen?" she asked herself. "In seven years…how could this have happened? If only I'd come back for you sooner, I would have…"

Riku shook his head. "You…can't stop it." He choked. "There's nothing you can do…"

And Tifa knew he was right. She couldn't possibly be involved in two cases at once, and this one had only just begun a few days ago. She had yet to meet on her first court date. The subpoena was still on her kitchen counter at home, glaring at her as a blinding reminder of the crime she'd been wrongly accused of. But if she could, she would sue Ansem's ass and plainly demand sole custody of her child—disowned or not. She grit her teeth, her lips pressed thin into a hard line on her otherwise soft face.

"I'll think of something, honey." she said under her breath. "This can't go on forever. I'll get you out of this, Riku, I promise."

"You can't!" Riku cried. Tifa hushed him, reminding him there were people outside. Riku checked his voice and hissed: "You just can't!"

"And why not?" Tifa demanded, looking at her son straight in the eyes. "I'm your mother, aren't I? I don't care if you're disowned—I carried you in my belly, and I held you when I gave birth to you. You are _my boy._ I will _never_ stop being your mother, Riku—do you hear me?"

All Riku could do was nod weakly in response. He didn't have the heart to tell her that two of his friends had already sworn the same thing to him, and he was somehow certain that it was destined to fail. He picked up his shirt and put it back on, buttoning it up again as Tifa cupped his face in her cheeks and gave him a kiss like a mother kisses her son.

"I want you to hold on, Riku." She brushed away the silvery bangs in front of his face. "I want you to hold on and to never let go. Keep your spirit strong—I know you have it in you. You're my child, after all." Tifa fixed her gaze on him. "Understand?"

Riku nodded dumbly, the words all blending together in his mind. It sounded no different from what he had tried to tell himself thousands of times, years ago.

"This man is doing horrible things to you, and you must feel horrible, and broken, and hurt, but you have to promise me you'll live through it. Promise me, Riku. I swear to you, this won't last forever. When that bitch gets what's coming to her, I'll come back and sue that fucker. Hear me? I'm not going to abandon you."

The part of him that had given up wanted to say, "Yeah. Right." But the other part of him knew better. Riku could still remember how hard Tifa had fought in court over custody for him—she'd had plenty of evidence to earn the sole rights as his parental guardian, and she'd argued and presented until she was blue in the face. However, his father and his father's lawyer were both the Masters of the Sleaze, and had somehow wormed their way up to the top. Tifa left shortly after the divorce became official. There was no doubt in Riku's mind that his Mom would come back for him, but court cases could take months to straighten out—he didn't have that long!

"Promise me."

Riku looked into his mother's eyes, swallowed, and nodded.

"I…I promise."

Tifa hugged Riku tightly and kept him like that for the next several minutes. This bastard would get what was coming to him—she would make sure of it. She was his mother.

_Hell hath no fury…_

_

* * *

_

Sora whirled around to face Mrs. Leigh with shock eminent in his face, his hand still covering his mouth. The images of the scars on Riku's body were still reverberating in the walls of his mind.

"What do you need?"

"I, uh…" Sora gulped. "I-I was coming down to talk about…um…my lesson plan for next year. They, um, they called me down for it." Sora displayed the pass he'd received from the office as proof. He swallowed, unable to speak straight.

"I'll…I'll come back later, if that's better."

"I think that would be wise," said Mrs. Leigh. Sora hung his head.

"S-Sorry…I, uh…I thought you'd be in your room…" he quickly took off into the halls before he could get himself into any more trouble.

He had expected to find Mrs. Leigh waiting to talk to him about next year's lesson plan in the school and to fix up any possible kinks in his transfer. He had found, instead, that Riku was inside, speaking with the woman who was apparently his long-lost mother. Sora felt terrible for eavesdropping, but…it was Riku. It wasn't every day you saw Riku cry. It had piqued his curiosity, and he couldn't stand to let it simmer.

Sora hadn't at all predicted that Riku would shed his shirt, hadn't predicted that there would be such a terrible number of scars marring his otherwise gorgeous body. When he thought back on it, he remembered what he'd heard—"_My foster father, Ansem._"—Ansem had done that to him. Sora clenched his now-useless Guidance pass in his hand, and stopped to rest against a wall. He could only guess how they had gotten there, and it made him ill with horror.

_That horrible bastard!_

And now Sora knew that it _was_ possible for a boy to be raped. How wrong he'd been.

When Sora next saw Tidus on the bus after school, he pulled him aside and looked at him with stern eyes, demanding answers.

"How long has this been going on?"

"How long has what been going on?" Tidus replied.

"Riku's abuse. _How long?_"

Tidus stared at him in shock. "How did you know about that?"

"Never mind. I saw him in Guidance today, and—"

"Riku went to the _Guidance_ Office?"

"It's a long story," Sora snapped, "Just tell me how long it's been happening!"

Tidus looked at Roxas, and Roxas looked at the both of them, while Riku sat a little distanced from them, off in his own little world. Tidus turned to face Sora again. Well, better now than never.

"Too long," he said simply. "And me and Roxas have a plan to get him out of there…"

Sora's ocean-blue eyes burned with a fire for justice that Tidus was fairly unfamiliar with. He'd expected that Sora would be at least a little tentative about it, maybe agree to it with some uncertainty, but this? He'd had no idea Sora felt so strongly for his friends. And he hadn't even known Riku as a friend for that long.

_What a loyal guy,_ he thought. _He's the kinda kid everyone would want for a friend._

Sora clenched his fists, his face serious and grim.

"Tell me how I can help."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I'm sorry if there actually is some sort of way Tifa can help him in real life. I don't friggin' know. For plot purposes, she can't do anything right now. It'll ruin the whole story. Besides, we all like a little bit of drama, right? 


	20. Ch 20: Justice Defined

**Author's Notes:** What are the odds! This chapter has exactly 999 words. It's 666 upside-down! HAAA! ...Sorry. Had a bit of an _Omen_ moment somehow. Still amused how everyone made such a big deal about the 666 thing. Truly entertaining.

Not much to say here. Short, build-up, and...a peek inside a pedophile...?

* * *

Chapter 20

_"Justice Defined"_

The four of them—Tidus, Sora, Roxas, and Riku—got off the bus at their neighborhood promptly at four to go their separate ways.

And, what a surprise, Ansem was there to pick up Riku.

The very moment Ansem began scanning the four boys up and down, eating them up like pieces of meat in his mind, Sora picked up on it. Now that he knew what Ansem was doing to Riku, there was no doubt in his mind now why Ansem's stare had felt so invasive before. He was probably stripping them all in his head. What a sick bastard.

And all Riku did was hang his head submissively, glaring at them all under his hair. He was already back into the mode Ansem wanted him in. Sora could figure this, and he was certain Tidus knew it.

"Did you have a nice day at school, Riku?"

Riku just shrugged. Ansem didn't press the issue.

"So, shall we go pick up your things at Sora's?"

Sora looked at Tidus. "So I guess I'll see you guys later?"

"Yeah. Remember, study. Mr. Slyver's giving a quiz next class, and you popped in a few weeks late."

Sora groaned. "I still don't think that's fair."

Tidus shrugged. "He doesn't feel the same way you do."

"Later, losers!" Roxas cackled, kicking down his skateboard and rolling away. Likely heading for the skate park. Tidus looked at Riku.

"I'll see you at school, 'kay?"

"Mmm." Riku grunted. Tidus took that as a yes and scootched. Once he was gone, it was just Sora, Riku, and Ansem. And Ansem smiled at Sora.

"So, are you Riku's new friend?"

Sora shrugged. "I guess so. We haven't really known each other long."

"He's a Country Boy," Riku grumbled. Ansem just chuckled.

"Well, Sora, mind showing us to your house so Riku can pick up his things?"

Sora shook his head, smiling. "Not at all!" But as he turned around, his teeth clenched and he tightened his grip on the strap of his school bag. But he kept his voice cheery. "Follow me."

* * *

Amusing. 

Truly, it was very amusing.

He was such an adorable actor. But, nevertheless, a poor one. He hadn't missed the flash of hate in his eyes, and he could see that the pretty little thing's knuckles were white as marble. Ansem's mind was struck with thoughts of what he could put those hands to use for, and then he turned and looked at Riku—ah, yes, Riku. _You were surprisingly easy to break,_ he thought. _Perhaps your father already did some of the breaking for me, hmmm? Yes, your mother, the divorce, being disowned… _Ansem smiled at him. Riku broke eye contact. _Your spirit was already worn when I found you…and what a lucky little find you are._

But. Back to Sora. As Ansem followed behind him, Riku doggedly at his side (what a good boy he was), the wheels in his head cranked.

He wasn't stupid.

That boy knew something.

* * *

Sora opened up the door, and dropped his bag by the steps. "Mom, I'm home!" 

"Oh, great, you can come do the dishes!"

"In a minute, Mom. Riku's picking up his stuff."

"Oh, that's right, he's going home today—Sora, who's this?" Lisa asked, walking into the room. Sora glanced back at Ansem, who smiled at his mother and took the initiative to step up with his hand outstretched.

"My name is Ansem Atercor. I'm Riku's foster father."

"Ah, so you're the one who's raising him!" Lisa shook his hand. "I'm Lisa, I'm Sora's mother."

Riku disappeared upstairs as Ansem proceeded to charm yet another neighbor into thinking he was the perfect resident. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Misses Tilmitt."

"You know, at first, I thought Riku was a little strange, but he's not so bad." Lisa mentioned. "He was on perfect behavior the whole time—he even helped with some of Sora's chores. He's so nice."

"Is that right?" Ansem looked up the stairs. "Did Riku really do all that? Most of the time he just sleeps, as far as I know."

Sora glared at Ansem out of the corner of his eye, but then he looked away. _Probably because you tire him out so much,_ his mind hissed. _Don't worry, Riku. On Friday, this'll all be over in a matter of minutes._

He could still clearly remember the plan. Tidus wanted Sora to take his (that is, Tidus') camera and infiltrate Ansem's house, climbing the ladder into Riku's room to get in. This was, of course, flying by the fact that Riku would let them in. ("I assume he'll be too beat to go to school," Tidus had said.) If they couldn't get in that way, Tidus said they could use the back door. All the houses on this street had one. That was a flaw in the houses on this cul-de-sac, was that they were all relatively identical in structure. Cookie-Cutters.

So Sora had the job of going in, searching the house, while Roxas guarded outside by the window and Tidus kept watch by the door, as well as helping with the search. It all seemed perfect enough. Ansem would supposedly be working—they had all day Friday to catch this bastard.

Riku was downstairs with his sleeping bag, pillow and duffel bag in a matter of minutes. Once he was, Ansem nodded his head and shook hands with Lisa, and then bid goodbye to Sora. Sora smiled at him and said, "Have a nice day," but inside he still hated the fucker. He and Riku exchanged smiles, and then they both were gone.

Sora watched them go with his lips pursed thin.

This was wrong, and it had to be righted.

Riku was too good to be treated like this—how could Ansem hurt such a handsome guy?

"By the way, Sora, Kairi called. You might want to phone her back sometime tonight."

"Oh, sure. Thanks, Mom. I'll do that."

But Sora had been so riddled with anger and uneasy thoughts that he never called back.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **He's obviously not thinking about Kairi. 

Thanks for the review, guys, let's keep up with the love! (My muse needs inspiration...)


	21. Ch 21: Friday the Thirteenth

**Author's Notes:** Well, I figured, "If I drag this out any longer it'll only torture me AND you," so I just said "fuck it" and wrote it. THE MOMENT WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!

...Kinda shitty IMO. Didn't take long to write.

* * *

Chapter 21

_"Friday the Thirteenth"_

Just as Tidus had predicted,Riku wasn't in school on Thursday. That didn't surprise Sora one bit. He knew Ansem must have beaten him senseless and raped him until his ass hurt. (Sora's not _that_ dumb, after all—Riku doesn't have a vagina.) When Friday finally came, Sora was surprised that his mother let him stay at Tidus' house. He, Roxas and Tidus spent the whole night going over their plan—they even sent an e-mail to Leon, warning him they'd be taking action soon.

Then it was actually Friday, and Sora was as nervous as a cat among rocking chairs.

As Tidus had predicted, Edea left promptly at seven, and expected they'd get on the bus. But none of their parents questioned if Edea may have dropped them off—they got no phone calls after nine o'clock.

"You see it, Roxas?"

"Yeah, yeah! Yo, help me get it out of here. This ladder's freaking huge." Tidus went into the garage and helped Roxas to turn the ladder on its side. Sora peered in.

"Guys, are you sure this will work?"

"It has to," Roxas said.

"Yeah. Otherwise, Riku will be stuck there for God knows how much longer."

Sora stared at the camera in his hands, fiddling with it. He had a bad feeling about this all of a sudden. He checked the calendar. It wasn't the thirteenth, so why did he have such an ominous feeling? Maybe it was because he had to sneak around just to do this. Sora never liked sneaking around.

"Come on, we can go out the back door. Sora, help us out, will ya? Clear the way."

"Sure," Sora muttered. He opened the back door, closing it behind them as Tidus and Roxas carried the ladder. They managed to go around all the houses without being caught, and Riku's side of the house was conveniently out of sight from their three houses (another reason why Tidus loved it). Most of the parents were working already. Tidus said he was certain they wouldn't get caught. But Sora kept looking around like something was going to jump out and eat him.

"Okay…there we go!" Tidus propped it up against the side of the house. "Roxie, you know what to do, right?"

"Gotcha, I'm green to go, A-Okay!" Roxas gave a thumbs-up. Tidus sighed.

"I'll take that as a yes." He looked at the brunet now. "Sora?"

Sora's eyes shifted back and forth. Roxas groaned.

"Sora, please don't get the jitters _now_…" moaned Tidus.

"I'm not—I'm not jittery! I'm just…"

"You are _so_ jittery. Knock it off—just climb the ladder! What's the worst that could happen?"

Sora stared at Roxas with a stone-still face. "Rape," he said bluntly.

"We won't let that happen, we promise." Tidus wavered Sora up the ladder. "Climb. I'll come up after you."

After a moment, Sora finally gave in. He used the wrist strap of the camera to keep it on him and climbed, and when he got to the window, he tapped lightly.

Seconds later, out peered Riku, looking horrified beyond belief. Sora tried to smile, but he didn't think he pulled it off too well. Riku lifted up the window, and shoved the screen out.

"…Hey…"

"Hi. We're here…" Sora smiled again. "Um, as scheduled."

Riku tried to smile back. His lips merely twitched. He looked away, almost guiltily.

"Um…he…he left a while ago, so…"

"Great," Sora started to squeeze through the window. Riku reached his arms out and grabbed him by the hem of his pants, helping to drag him in. Sora clambered off his bed, and then Riku helped Tidus to get in. Tidus peered outside.

"Roxas, you stay there, alright?"

"Okeedokee!"

Sora looked at Riku. "So…I know you're hurt, I'm sorry, but…um…"

"We wouldn't know where to look." Tidus said. Riku swallowed.

"Ah…well…i-is someone keeping watch indoors?"

"Yeah, me. You want me to go do that?" Tidus looked around. "He's not coming back, is he?"

"He might…" Riku bit his lip. "Maybe not, but…he might…"

Tidus frowned. Riku was acting a little off. Sora just cocked his head, clueless at the thought, but Tidus shook it out.

"Sure, yeah. I mean, if it makes you feel better. I'll go check it out." Tidus then disappeared to go downstairs. Sora blinked, shifting nervously. He was alone. With Riku. Totally clueless. With a camera.

"…Um…"

Riku cast his eyes to the floor. "The, uh…the basement…I'll show you…"

Sora could only follow doggedly along as Riku showed him to the basement door. Poor guy—he was walking with a definite limp. He wasn't even trying to hide it. And his shirt had streaks of blood, too. God…Ansem must have done a big number on him when he got home. His eyes were so dull today, too. Sora felt so much pity for him. He was actually glad he had agreed to do this. Nobody deserved this kind of treatment.

The silver-haired teen reached for the knob, then stopped. He stuffed his hands into his pockets. Sora glanced at him sideways.

"Riku? Are you okay?"

"Um…" Riku coughed, "Yeah, I…I'm fine." He sighed and opened the door a little quickly, and walked downstairs. Sora continued to follow in his footsteps, descending down into the dark basement floor. When Riku turned on an overhead lamp, Sora gasped audibly.

The place was decked out like a dungeon. There were whips, paddles, all kinds of toys and knives, all of them segregated in sections and lined neatly along the walls—ropes and chains on the walls, bottles of God only knows what—a candelabra, a table of candles, anything tortorous and kinky one could ever imagine. Even themed outfits. For both Riku _and_ Ansem.

Sora turned the camera on, dazed as he took pictures of it all. He couldn't believe all this—he wasn't even aware that half of the stuff down here even existed!

"Oh my God, Riku, this is horrible…how can he do this to you?"

* * *

Riku watched as Sora took photos, his eyes glazed over. He was arguing with the Voice again. He clenched the bloodied rag in his pocket, biting his lip. There was something he knew he should do, but he didn't want to do it. He was so scared—so scared. 

But Ansem's word was law.

He had an obligation to follow that law.

That is, if he wanted to keep his head on his shoulders.

* * *

Roxas checked his watch as the time passed. Five minutes. Damn, it seemed like time slowed to a crawl while this was happening. He sighed and shoved his hand back into his pocket, looking around. He felt so stupid. Stand watch? He wanted to be the one taking the pictures. 

And then suddenly he saw it. Roxas frowned, peering around the back of one of the neighboring houses—and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

_Oh, shit. Oh, FUCK! **He's walking around the God damn back!**_

Roxas clambered panicfully up the ladder and landed with an ungracious series of thumps into Riku's room, and scrambled downstairs like his life depended on it, snatching Tidus from behind.

"Holy Jesus, you scared me!" the fellow blond gasped.

"Ansem's coming home! Right now!"

"_WHAT?_" Tidus' eyes were as wide as Roxas'. "Why? Why the fuck is he—_his car isn't even in the driveway!_"

"He's walking! I swear to God, right around back, he's _walking_ here!"

"Go home!"

The both of them stared at Riku. Riku shooed them to the door. "Hurry, before he catches you!"

"But—wait!" Tidus pushed when Riku tried to usher him out. "What about Sora?"

"He's downstairs, still taking pictures. Don't worry, there's a downstairs exit, I'll get him out. Now go!"

They heard a snapping sound outside. Tidus paled.

"Did he just—fuck! That was my _Dad's_ ladder!"

"Get the hell out of here!" Riku pushed both of them hurriedly out and slammed the door shut behind them. Without another word, he whirled around, but he hesitated only for a moment before going downstairs.

* * *

At the top of the flight, Ansem watched with expectant hazel eyes. 

_Good boy, Riku._

_

* * *

_

Sora was worried. "Riku, what's going on?"

"Ansem's coming home." Riku started to show him to a back part of the basement. "You…you need to get out of here…"

"_Already?_ But I thought he was gone!"

"H-He's—He's not, just…" Riku shook his head. "Just…just go!"

Sora turned around. "Okay, okay, let me turn off the camera!"

It only took him one second to turn his back, but it was all that was needed. Before Sora could protest, he had an arm around his waist and a damp, horrid-smelling cloth clamped over his mouth and nose. Sora cried out and fought, kicking his legs and flailing, prying at Riku's arms, but Riku was the Juggernaut. His strength surpassed Sora's by a mile. The more Sora tried to breathe in air, the more he drank up that terrible smell, and his eyes got heavy fast. Panic dragged him under along with the drug. In seconds, he was limp in Riku's arms.

* * *

Riku swallowed and, not sure what else to do, drew back in a half-stunned state and let the unconscious Sora crumple to the floor. He dropped the rag in his hand, staring at what he'd done. What Ansem had made him do. 

_No,_ he thought, _this was my choice. I listened to him. It's my fault._

_But you did it because you had to,_ said the Voice.

Riku wasn't so sure the Voice was being rational anymore.

Did it really have to go this far?

* * *

Ansem smiled wickedly. 

_**Very** good boy._

_

* * *

_

**Author's Notes:** DUN DUN DUUUUNNNNNN. (insert ominous music here)


	22. Ch 22: Full Circle

**Author's Notes:** So here's the answer to the cliffie! I'm sorry if it seems a little flaky. I'm not satisfied with how all the bad luck and such ties together, but let's just ignore it and have fun with the plot, hmmmm? Good.

Knowing me I'm probably going to find some way to tie up all these loose ends later.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR REVIEWS! Now let's see some more. The muse demands more food. (She's a fickle pig, anyway.)

**WARNING: _This chapter contains no lemons BUT IT COMES DAMN CLOSE. If you don't want to hear half-assed brinkmanship descriptions of a lemon (of which there is none, as has been stated, but it's an_ ALMOST-LEMON_), then skip it._**

* * *

Chapter 22

_"Full Circle"_

Tidus was worried when Sora didn't come back five minutes after they got to the house.

Roxas joined him in that worry when fifteen minutes passed, and looked warily at the phone.

"Hey…man…" he whimpered, "Dude, I think Sora…"

Tidus stared out the window at that terrible house, biting his lip. "We should call the police…" When silence passed, Tidus rushed for his phone and picked it up. He was instantly given a rapid beeping noise, like a busy tone…or a dead line.

"_FUCK!_" Tidus slammed it down into the phone cradle.

"What, what?"

"The lines are dead!"

"How the _hell?_" Roxas stared at the piece of machinery incredulously. "What if we tried to warn someone?"

Tidus paced frantically, fingers running through my hair. "It's my fault. I should have seen this coming…fuck, Jesus Christ, it's all my fault!"

"Forget about that! Come on, hurry, let's find someone who's home!"

So Tidus and Roxas rushed outside, and rushed to a one Mr. Lorry's house. The man was in a wheelchair, so when he opened up the door, he was at their level.

"Mr. Lorry!" Tidus cried, "You've got to help us! Our friend got kidnapped by Ansem, and—"

"What's all this?" Lorry demanded. "Shouldn't you boys be in school?"

"Feck school!" Roxas snapped. "Ansem's got our friend Sora hostage!"

Lorry frowned. "I hardly find that believable."

"It's true!" Tidus waved frantically to Ansem's house. "Ansem's a pedophile and he's home! He's home right now!"

Lorry coiled back. "A _pedophile?_ Absurd! You boys are horrible! Ansem is at work. His car isn't even in the driveway. Shouldn't you be in school?"

Roxas and Tidus both stared at Mr. Lorry with dumbstruck expressions. _What. The. Fuck._

"Come inside. I'm going to keep you here until I've phoned your parents."

"You can't, the lines are dead!"

"I have a cell phone."

Tidus stuttered. "But Sora—"

Lorry turned around and started wheeling inside. "Is probably at school like you two should be. Now—"

But the boys were gone with the door slammed shut before Mr. Lorry could protest.

It was the same at every other house they tried. And so the boys ended up running circles until their parents came home and yelled at them. Tidus was the one who tried hardest to argue with Edea.

"Please, Mom, please just go check Ansem's house!"

"Ansem is at work," Edea growled, "I'm surprised you skipped school, Tidus! And for this! Of all things, I would have thought better of—"

"MOM! Ansem is a pedophile!" Tidus' voice was frantically loud now. "He's got Sora in his house and he's been hurting Riku! You need to listen to me!"

"How can I believe what you're saying when you've already lied to me to skip school?" Edea said, crossing her arms. "Tidus, I am very disappointed in you."

"EDEA!" he screamed. "PLEASE! This is important! If you don't go and check, Sora's going to get raped! It's my fault, I dragged him into it! I made him go inside to take pictures in Ansem's house!" It all came spilling out now, and Edea's eyes widened.

"You did _what?_"

"We wanted to get proof that Ansem was a pedophile! He's been beating and raping Riku for the last FOUR YEARS, Mom! We had to do something!"

"I don't believe this! If Ansem is such a horrible man, why didn't you think to tell the adults!"

Tidus threw his arms up. "_Because you would never listen!_"

"Of _course_ I won't listen _now_, I can't even be sure you're telling me the truth! Tidus, don't you remember how to think straight? Ugh…" Edea rubbed her forehead. "What happened to the boy I raised…where's Sora?"

"IN ANSEM'S HOUSE!"

"You mean he got on the bus, unlike you two."

Tidus got caught up in his panic and made a grave error. "Yes—I mean, no! NO! Dammit!" He clenched his hair. "No, no, he's in that house! Please just check!"

"Go to your room, Tidus."

"Mom, please!"

Edea thrust an angry finger at the stairs. "I won't hear any more of this garbage! Go to your room! You're grounded until I say you've served your sentence, Tidus. No phone, no Internet, and no going out to play Blitzball with your friends. You will go to school every school day, and when school is over you will come straight home and do your homework. Other than that, the only activity you can do is read. Am I clear?"

"This isn't _fair!_" Tidus shrieked. "I'm telling you the truth, Mom, I'm—"

"YOU are grounded and are slimming your chances of being _un_grounded!" Edea snapped. "Go to your room—_now!_"

Tidus yelled out all his anger in one clear roar, and bolted up the stairs, slamming the door behind him and locking it. He would find a way to fix this. He had to. If he didn't, Sora was doomed.

* * *

It had been simple, really. He "drove home" around two o'clock, thus sealing his alibi, and with plenty of time to have fun with little Sora. Riku was cooperative, of course, like he was in everything else. He had to be. He owned this house, and he owned Riku. If Riku disobeyed, well…

His life would turn to Hell.

Ansem descended into the basement, closing the door behind him, a smile on his dark face. Riku was sitting in a chair, staring at the ground beneath his feet, ashamed to look at the form of his naked friend roped to the wall. He chuckled and tilted Riku's face up.

"Don't feel bad, pet. He was misbehaving. He deserves this punishment." Ansem leaned in close and whispered in Riku's ear, "Don't you agree?"

He heard a thrashing from the wall. "Get away from him!"

Ansem looked over and smirked, seeing Sora's angry glare. Ooooh, that was delicious. He was gorgeous when he was angry. What a pretty catch. He should foster someone from the country next time. And Sora must be so innocent…untainted… _It's perfect,_ Ansem thought.

"Aah good. You're awake. I hope the chloroform didn't make you too drowsy."

* * *

Sora glared hatefully at Ansem. "Let me down from here!" He snapped, pulling at his roped bonds. Never mind that he was naked (and more than a little scared), he wanted to be out of here and report this fucker!

"Riku!" Sora looked at the teen. "Riku, help me down!"

Riku's fingers twitched, but there was no other response. Sora was awestruck.

"What's the _matter_ with you? Why are you _helping_ him!"

"He's helping me because I own him." Ansem explained, picking out a knife from a nearby table. "Good pets obey their masters."

Sora snarled at him. "You're a sick, twisted, motherfucking bastard, and you're going straight to Hell!"

Sora was answered by a slap across the face. He bit his lip, his cheek stinging. "I'd think it wise that you stay quiet," Ansem told him. "I'm much nicer to my toys when they don't talk back to me like little brats."

Sora spat at him, "Fuck you!"

Ansem slapped him again. Riku flinched where he sat, but remained stone-still. Sora shook his head to regain his senses and tried to talk to him.

"Riku…you don't have to listen to him! He doesn't own you! You're your own person, you can make your own decisions!"

"Quiet!"

"He can't hurt you if you don't let him!"

Ansem sliced that blade through the air. Sora yelped and flattened against the wall as a clean streak of red appeared across his chest. It wasn't deep, but it was bleeding. He gasped when Ansem wound an arm around him and he squirmed, but Ansem held him tight and grabbed his ass, giving it a squeeze. Sora thought he would hurl.

"Get your hands off me!"

"I can't," Ansem said with a grin. "That would be neglecting a perfectly good toy."

Sora hissed as Ansem stroked his thighs, thinking he was going to be sick. "I'm not a toy!"

"Maybe not yet, but you will be." Ansem nuzzled Sora's neck, and no matter how far away Sora craned his neck, Ansem followed and kept his lips there, _kissing_ him. Sora _knew_ he was going to hurl. Right after the butterflies and his racing, panicked heart slowed down or went away.

"Riku—"

"Crying to him won't help you." Ansem murmured. "Riku listens to everything I tell him to do. He brought you to me, after all."

"That's because he's _scared_ of you!" Sora cried. "How can you do this to him? Riku was so beautiful, and you destroyed that! You're a _demon!_" And that was putting it _lightly,_ as far as Sora was concerned.

Sora gulped when the bloodied blade of Ansem's knife pressed against his throat.

"One more word out of you, and you will go home dead."

It was an empty threat. Sora could already see a tent forming in Ansem's pants (which made him once again fall ill). Unless the fucker was a necrophiliac, he wasn't going to die any time soon…was he? Sora was starting to lose some of his confidence as Ansem's hands roamed his body. He knew he had no way of fighting back; he knew he couldn't stop it. But he tried his damndest. He had to. He wouldn't let Ansem rape him—at least, not without a fight!

Sora squealed and flinched away when Ansem tried to grab him below and thrashed out of the way whenever Ansem tried again. Ansem snarled and slapped him, pinning him to the wall.

"Stand still, you brat! I want to see what you're like when you're hard…"

Sora shook his head. "In your dreams! I'd never get turned on by a bastard like you!"

Ansem laughed. "Teenagers have such a substantial amount of hormones in their body. I don't think you'll have much of a choice. I can always give you an aphrodisiac."

Sora felt his knees get weak and wrenched his eyes shut. Tears pricked the edges of them as Ansem started to touch him. He knew what an aphrodisiac was—Kairi explained how rapists in her home town always used them—but either way, he didn't want to give himself over to this man.

"Stop!" he begged. "Stop touching me! Get off!"

"Are you a virgin?" Ansem asked, completely ignoring Sora's pleas. Sora didn't answer to it. Instead, he looked desperately over at Riku, who was sitting there doing nothing, hands clutching the sides of his head.

"Riku—"

Ansem slapped him again. "Leave my _pet_ alone! You're _mine_ for the day, boy, so you'd damn well better listen to me if you want to leave here in one piece!"

Ansem's fingers thrust into a bodily hole that was not meant to be probed by fingers, and Sora wailed. The pain shot right up his spine. His brain was rattled with it. His resolve dropped like a rock, and the tears that had gathered streamed down his cheeks to make fresh rivers. If Ansem was going to _rape_ him...he didn't even want to _think_ about how much _that_ was going to hurt. This pain was already unbearable.

Ansem just grinned with delight, his fingers buried between the cheeks of Sora's ass. "I love it when they're fresh," he said, the sentence more of a primal growl. Sora lurched inside and clenched his fists, his toes curling, every hair on his body standing up on end from the agony.

He couldn't escape this…could he?

He was screwed.

_Literally,_ Sora thought, and that made him even more upset.

* * *

Riku closed his eyes and covered his ears. More to drown out the sound of the Voice than anything else. The minutes passed by, and all he did was sit there, listening to Sora's screams and pleas for help, and Ansem's angry shouts and satisfied purrs, the way he talked dirty like he always did with him. It was enough to make him spill out his entire stomach, but he blocked it, and he tried desperately to ignore the Voice in his head.

_You had to do it. He was going to endanger you!_

_Sora doesn't deserve this…_

_He was going to expose Ansem. He was going to ruin you. Ansem would kill you!_

_Ansem's going to **rape** him!_

_It's a dog-eat-dog world out there. Sora just jumped into the fray._

Riku shook his head and mumbled something to himself, and then he suddenly got his head yanked up. He looked into Ansem's eyes for only a fraction of a second before the man backhanded him, and he was flung sideways, crumpling to the floor.

"No!" Sora cried. Ansem pointed to the sybian machine that he was demanding Sora sit down on to penetrate himself, having him strapped on a collar and leash.

"Do it, or I'll have fun with my _pet_ instead."

Riku looked up momentarily from the floor to see a confused and horrified Sora with his backside hovering over a cruel rubber penis. Ansem had the control in his hand, and was ready to start it up. He just wanted Sora to sit. Sora was clearly torn between submitting to rape or letting Riku take the hit, and Riku just stared at him with dull eyes.

"Trust me, this is a brilliant way to break you in." Ansem explained. "It worked very well with Riku."

Riku cast his eyes down. Yes, he remembered that thing quite well, and it had been horrible. Ansem made him use it for hours at a time, and more recently it would just be to watch him climax multiple times. He heard more arguing from Ansem and Sora and retreated into his own world again.

_Does Sora really deserve this?_

_He deserves every bit of it,_ the Voice said. _He was going to destroy you._

_**Ansem** destroys me! I hate him! _Riku grit his teeth.

_And Sora was going to—_

_I HATE him._

The Voice froze again. This reaction wasn't expected. The fire flared up again, and the Voice burned. Riku clenched his teeth behind pursed lips, hearing Sora whimper in protest to entry.

_I want you to hold on, Riku._ His mother's voice echoed in his head. _I want you to hold on and to never let go._

That sentence reminded him of one of his fantasies. The fantasies he kept secret from Ansem when he thought about him. He could see his hands wrapping around that cursed neck and cutting off its air, he could picture Ansem's eyes rolling as he clawed and gasped for air to try and be pulled back into his lungs, and Riku wouldn't allow it. _Keep your fire strong, Riku._

The hatred boiled.

Sora cried.

And the Juggernaut snapped.

Riku saw red as he jumped up and rushed that motherfucking bastard that he'd hated for the past four years of his life. His ears tuned out the world as his fist connected hard with Ansem's jaw. The man crumpled to the floor, and Ansem tried to fight back, and Riku caught the fist Ansem flung at him; he grabbed that control and snapped it in half.

"Riku, what are you doing!"

Riku glared at Ansem with such a high concentration of anger and hate that, for once, Ansem was the one looking up in fear. All in that moment, Riku's fantasies suddenly poured free from his mind, and he ran so rampant that even he lost track of what was going on. He took a broken piece of the plastic to the controller and dug it into Ansem's shoulder, pinning him down, straddling his torso with his other hand pulling at Ansem's silvery hair, gray with age unlike his own, young and starved of pigment. Ansem screamed painfully and Riku ignored him. Just like Ansem always ignored him.

He cut at Ansem's body, left him bleeding at the arms and sides and even a slice across his collarbone, and he punched him with uncontrolled strength, the rage of four years bottled up suddenly exploding in less than a second. He beat and battered that disgusting body until he couldn't tell what was bruised and what was blood. Then he stared down at it, and when he lifted up his hands Ansem flinched and covered his face. Riku got a psychotic grin of satisfaction on his face, and he clamped his hands down around Ansem's neck, cutting off his air. He squeezed until his knuckles were white, and he could see dents in the flesh where his nails dug into it.

_Now **DIE,** you fucking **BASTARD!**_

****

**_

* * *

_**

****

Sora watched on, stunned. He'd never seen Riku so mad. He'd thought it had been bad before… _Wait, Riku!_

Sora looked hesitantly at the sybian machine under him and quickly clambered off. Ansem had the foresight to cuff his hands when taking him down from the wall, and he was still naked with the collar and leash around his neck.

"Riku!" he cried. "Riku, stop it!"

Riku didn't listen to him. He mumbled a few things under his breath, watching as Ansem clawed uselessly at his arms, bleeding and probably with several broken bones and a dislocated jaw. Sora crawled along the floor.

"_Stop it,_ Riku!" He knew Riku must be angry now, but he didn't expect for him to _kill_ Ansem! To Sora, their safety was more important than the death of the attacker. They had to get away from here. He got up on his knees and flung his arms over Riku's head, pulling him over, and Riku shouted a muddled curse that Sora couldn't translate.

"Riku!" Sora grappled with the other's strength, gritting his teeth. "Ansem's not going anywhere!" he hissed. "Riku! Riku, listen to me!" Ansem's eyes started to roll as he slowly fell silent. He wasn't dead yet, but he would be.

"Let's get out of here, Riku…we can leave now! You've done enough!"

"I haven't done enough until this motherfucking pedophile is DEAD!" Riku snarled, his fingers making bloody crescents in Ansem's dark flesh. Sora held him tight and hissed in his ear:

"You've done plenty! Enough is enough! You can be _free,_ Riku!"

It worked. Riku stopped quite nearly on a dime. He kept his pressure steady for a moment, and then, slowly, his fingers released Ansem's neck. Sora kept his arms around him.

"See? He's a mess. It's good enough. You can leave here and he won't stop you…"

* * *

Riku tuned out Sora's words as he patted down Ansem's body. His fingers brushed over the half-hard bulge in Ansem's pants (he grit his teeth when he felt it and gave it a painful squeeze just for spite), and to the left, metal that jingled. He shoved his fingers into Ansem's pocket and pulled out his car keys.

_Keys near your keys, _he thought. _Predictable fucker._

He blindly wrapped a fumbling arm around Sora and stood up, and he cautiously scurried away from Ansem's body, staring at it like a work of art to be admired. Ansem didn't even twitch. As far as Riku could care, he was as good as dead. He took careful steps backwards up the stairs, still clutching the keys in his hands. Sora was still naked as he carried him, and then he slammed the basement door shut, and ran for the front door.

He could leave.

He could _leave_.

"R-Riku? What are you doing?" Riku ignored Sora and flung open Ansem's passenger car door, pushing Sora inside. Get away, get far away—he had to do that, and Sora had to come with him, or else they would both be hurt.

"Riku…?" Sora's voice began to express worry as Riku got into the driver's seat, both doors shut, and turned the key. He'd earned his driver's license, but Ansem never let him drive. That didn't stop him from keeping it in his pocket. The brick-red Sedan hummed to life, and Riku shifted gears and locked the doors. Sora's eyes widened.

"Riku?"

"Shut up and buckle!" Riku snapped, glaring at him without meaning to, his knuckles still covered in Ansem's blood as he slammed on the gas and staggered the car out of the driveway at thirty miles an hour, all in broad daylight as he sped out of the cul-de-sac. Sora didn't even have the time, nor the mental strength to protest, except to look frightfully out the window as they drove towards the freeway.

For the first time, successfully, Riku ran away.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** And thus ends the explosive "Part One" of this story. But is it over yet...? NO, I SAY! 


	23. Ch 23: And Then the Whole World Said:

**Author's Notes:** Short chapter. And the reaction all around the world is...!

* * *

Chapter 23

_"And Then the Whole World Said…"_

**Saturday Morning**

Leon was concerned when he didn't get an e-mail from Tidus.

He was more concerned when he tried to call them and the phone gave him a busy tone.

A deep frown creased his face and he put the phone down on the receiver.

"Are you okay?" asked the voice of Riddlez, cranked up so he could hear it from the kitchen. He walked back in and turned it down.

"No. I'm worried."

"What happened? Are those boys okay?"

"I hope so. They haven't e-mailed, haven't called…"

Leon heard shouting in the background, and Riddlez asked someone else, "Are you sure?" And they exclaimed excitedly: "Yeah!" Then there was a pause. Then Leon heard it:

"Grievers, turn on the news. I think you need to see this."

Leon frowned, but he didn't object. He grabbed the remote in the living room when he got to it and flipped on the television, switching it to CNN News from The Weather Channel.

"And just yesterday, in broad daylight, a young teenage boy grabbed a school classmate, both of them in his house, took his father's car, and drove away! We've had reports that his hands were covered in blood, and the classmate was naked, handcuffed and had a collar around his neck. The whole fiasco started when the classmate's mother called the police to report her missing son, who has been confirmed to be Sora Tilmitt, his kidnapper a one Riku Lockheart, a foster child from the Lindblum Agency…"

The report went on and on, and the more it continued, the more Leon paled and his eyes turned a dull grey under the storm.

"Sh_it_."

* * *

Naminé nearly jumped out of her seat. 

"Kairi!" she shrieked. "Kairi, come quick, yer hubby's on the CNN!"

"Sora?" Kairi quickly rushed into the room, leaning over the couch. But she wasn't so excited when she heard the story.

"…A very problematic child, so say several of the local residences. Riku forced Sora into his foster father's car and the foster himself, Ansem Atercor, was found severely assaulted in his basement, which was, as the authorities reported, 'Clearly a center for sado-masochistic sexual activity'. The blood of Riku, Ansem, _and_ Sora was found in the basement…"

Naminé couldn't believe what she was hearing or seeing as the news flashed photos of Riku, Sora, and Ansem Atercor, and showed camera pans of the basement and shots of Ansem being lifted into an ambulance. Kairi's hands flew to her mouth, and her heart skipped six beats.

"Good God Almighty," she breathed.

"My goodness gracious!" Naminé looked over the couch. "I hope they find him…"

Kairi was too dumbstruck to respond. She could only pray for Sora's safety as she watched, too far away to help.

* * *

Edea had been stunned since yesterday. She now watched the news channel in horror, and felt the guilt come crashing down. 

Tidus passed her by, saw the news flash, and looked at her. For once, he allowed himself some disrespectful cynicality, so strong still was his anger.

"I would say I told you so, but I guess your conscience did that for me."

* * *

Cloud's eyes were glued to the screen, along with twenty other pairs, plus Sephiroth's, whose arm was around his waist. They were all surrounding the sixty-two-inch plasma-screen TV in the main floor living room where all the video games were, watching as the story unfolded before them, condensed into five minutes. 

"…And Ansem is planning to sue Riku for assault once the authorities have located him. There may be clear indications that Ansem was a pedophile, as it appears his horrific basement is decorated for the purpose of having numerous sex games with Riku, whom he'd been fostering for the past four years…"

Sephiroth scoffed. "What a bunch of bull," he growled. "The news will turn anything into a story and spin it until you can't tell fact from fiction." Cloud leered at him, but said nothing.

"I think that's one sick son of a bitch," Seifer commented. Fuujin's eyes narrowed.

"TERRIBLE."

"That's just _gross_, man, ya know!" Raijin clicked his tongue. "I don't blame the poor kid, ya know?"

"Poor Riku!" cried Zell. He turned around. "Cloud, do you think _we_ could take them in?"

Cloud shook his head. "We wouldn't even know where to find them, Zell. But I hope that they're doing better than they were in that house." He bit on a thumbnail, eyes on the screen.

_That poor kid…_

_

* * *

_

Riku looked up at the television screen hanging down from the ceiling of the thrift shop as he paid for clothes with money he'd stolen out of the pocket of some prostitute, his eyes shaded by a baseball hat which he tucked his hair under. He wore a school jacket over his body to hide himself better as he took the plastic bag of clothes mechanically.

"…Citizens are warned to be on the lookout for a brick-red two-thousand-and-two Honda Civic Sedan, the car that Riku stole from Ansem's driveway when he kidnapped Sora and ran."

The cashier looked at him. She was a lady with a nose ring and three piercings in each ear with her hair done up in wild multiple pigtails.

"That you, sweetheart?"

Riku glared at her. She patted his hand.

"My lips are sealed," she murmured, "Now go on and get while you still have your chance. I can't say the same for my customers."

Riku stared at her in silence for a while as she gestured for him to leave.

"…Thank you."

He turned and left the store, and he pushed the bag into Sora's naked lap when he got in the driver's seat. Sora stared at him with dulled, angry eyes. His hands weren't cuffed anymore, and the collar was gone, but Sora didn't dare leave the car. He knew he wouldn't have a clue where the fuck he was going.

Riku turned the key in the ignition, and pulled out of the parking space. As they drove away at fifty miles an hour on the freeway, he said to Sora,

"We're wanted."

Sora hung his head and hugged the bag of clothes, swallowing hard. He remained silent, and stared at the still-full gas gauge in front of the steering wheel. They had a long way to go before empty.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** My favorite part is how I strung together all the parts of the news flash for each group. 


	24. Ch 24: Nightfall and Downtime

**Author's Notes:** So, here we go. Things may seem a little loose at the moment, but it'll tighten up as we go. A little more downtime before we go into the romantic "Part Two" of this story. Yep - up ahead there's going to be more relationship developments than before, so that's going to become the center focus for a while.

Thank you for your reviews, guys! You all are a great audience of readers, and I appreciate your support. I hope you see this through to the end, because I'm not gonna stop until this is done!

Here's a new chapter - have fun and enjoy!

**EDIT**

**This was spliced into the proper "Part Two" of the story on Tuesday, June 13th, 2006. **

* * *

Part Two

_"Intertwining"_

* * *

Chapter 24

_"Nightfall and Downtime"_

That Saturday evening, the boys found themselves camping out on the side of the highway, having stopped by a Seven-Eleven and picked up munchies and cherry-flavored soda for dinner. With money that hadn't been theirs. Riku didn't know where he was driving to, and Sora didn't know what he'd gotten _in_to. He and Riku hadn't spoken so much as a few words to each other since Riku drove them out of the cul-de-sac. Now here they were, car turned off, headlights off, freezing in the car and eating Doritos and Twinkies while drinking soda that had turned flat and warm.

Sora, thanks to Riku's trip to the thrift shop, was now wearing boxers, a pair of khaki cargo jeans and a shirt that barely fit him with the brand of SomethingAwfulon the front. Hell, Sora didn't even know what SomethingAwful was. He didn't care what was on the shirt, but he did care that it was tight to his torso and was making him all the more cold.

Swallowing some soda in the silence as Riku nibbled a Twinkie, Sora stared out the windshield, and he finally sighed and rubbed his arms to try and keep warm.

"You bought me the wrong shirt size."

Riku bit the Twinkie. "I was in a hurry."

"It's cold," Sora complained.

Riku answered pointedly, "It's fall. It's fifty-two degrees outside and it's dark."

Sora gritted his teeth. "You forced me into this."

Riku turned and looked at Sora. For the first time in years, since they had left, his eyes actually held some sense of level-headedness and normality in them.

"If I had left you there, Ansem would have grilled you well-done."

"But what about my family!" Sora glared at him. "Did you think about that? I have people that care about me—people that I have to be with! I don't care about Ansem! I wanted to help you, Riku, but this—"

"Go back and you'll die. It's not a joke, it's fact." Riku ate another bite of his snack. "I came close to death several times in that house. He tried to make me wear a frilly pink dress once." Riku swallowed. "I fought him until I spent the night bleeding myself to sleep. I'm lucky he felt the obligation to nurse me back to health or I would have died by hemorrhage."

Sora's bottom lip stuck out in a pout. "I'm not going to keep feeling sorry for you—now you're just making up leverage to keep me here!"

Riku rolled his eyes and his hands flung up, and he dropped the Twinkie in his lap as he slapped his palms onto the ledge of the door window and the cupholder. He sneered at Sora.

"Fine. Fuck it. I'm lonely. Is that what you want to hear?"

"Stop being so stubborn!"

"Get used to it." Riku finished off his munchie. "I won't take you back."

"This is kidnapping!" Sora cried. "You can't keep me here against my will, take me back to my house!"

"Did you hear a word of what I said? We'll die."

"See—you're still scared of him, and you won't admit it!" Riku's lips pressed thin and he clenched his teeth. "You won't go back because you think that if you do, he'll have power over you again! That's it, isn't it? You totally didn't think this out and—"

Riku lunged across and grabbed Sora's shirt, wrapping it in his fist and pulling him in. "_Look,_" he snarled, "I'm not going back to that life. I'm _never_ going back to that place again, and I'm _not_ turning around. You're safer running with me than you are hanging around the neighborhood while Ansem looks for a _substitute_."

Sora blinked dubiously. "Substitute?" he laughed.

"It's not funny!" Riku shook Sora. "He's sick enough to do it. He'll ruin my life and then focus on yours! And if that won't work, Roxas and Tidus…" he trailed off, his eyes full of worry. Sora paused for a moment, staring into them, and then Riku drew back and slumped in his seat with a huff. Sora curled his legs up against him and hugged them with his arms, trying to keep warm.

"…If you're going to keep going, are you really going to spend your whole time stealing money and clothes?"

"I'll steal a car if I have to." Riku grunted.

"That's not right!" Sora argued. "Riku…you really do need to just find someplace to stay…"

Riku sighed. "Good, then, got any brilliant ideas Sherlock?"

Sora frowned. He opened his mouth to speak, but then the words left him when he realized he had none. He flitted his eyes away, and sighed, adjusting the seat to lay back.

"I thought so." Riku crawled into the back seat to lay down. "This'll be fine for now."

"How do we know a cop won't find us?"

"Because they're fat, stupid and blind as bats."

Sora pouted. "That's not very nice of you to say."

His companion snorted and lifted up an exxagerating arm as it waved through the air. "Who are you, Morel Orel? Goodnight. I'm going to sleep."

Sora sighed and tucked his bare feet up against his thighs, wrapping his arms around himself and shrugging his shoulders up to his ears. Several minutes passed. He was still cold, and he might even be shivering a little. It never got this cold out where he lived unless it was winter, and he hated winter.

He heard a sigh. "Are you really that cold?"

"_Yes._" Sora grumbled, shuddering. "It's _freezing._"

Sora heard some shuffling of clothes, and then blinked as a school coat was draped over his shoulders.

"Wuss."

Sora looked up and stared at Riku, a little surprised. Some of his scars were visible under the shirt he wore, but for the most part they were covered up. That didn't make them go away, however. The brunet crinkled his brow, his lips puckering as he thought.

"…Thanks," he said quietly, snuggling up under the oversized coat. Riku just turned to face the back of the seat and hugged his arms to his body.

"Whatever…"

Sora now listened to the sound of highway traffic outside as he tried to drift off into Dreamland. He was having difficulty doing so with so much on his mind. He didn't like being held here, but he knew Riku wasn't giving him the choice.

_I wonder how Kairi's doing,_ he thought. _She must be worried. She might have seen me on the news. _Sora pondered on that. He remembered Kairi's face, her smile, her pretty red hair blowing in the wind and the way that she laughed. It made him smile, too.

To help him sleep, Sora let his mind wander, and he imagined what it would be like to see Kairi, to hug her and tell her he was okay, and then to kiss her just to show her how much she meant to him. It wouldn't be a deep kiss, but it would be passionate, and he would hold her and run his fingers through rich auburn-red hair. The thought of hugging Kairi's body to his made Sora's hormonal teenage thoughts shift tracks and roll on a different tangent, and he went to bed with an unloved rush of testosterone stirring down south. But the images _did_ help him sleep better.

Thinking of Kairi always made him feel better.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** So now, it appears Riku is going to even out in his previous half-madness. Sorry, guys, Sora's not gay/bi yet. Yeah, I just _had_ to remind you of that. Don't worry. It'll blow over soon enough. 


	25. Ch 25: It's Like Sex, But It's Not

**Author's Notes:** Thank you for your continuous reading, everyone. I was surprised to actually see a couple of lurkers coming out and giving praise. Thank you for your support!

So, here it is. I was again unsure about the pace in this chapter, but all in all, I think it turned out well. It's nice to actually slow things down a little bit, you know? I'm going to like focusing on something other than angst for a change.

Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 25

_"It's Like Sex, But It's Not."_

Sora was up by seven the next morning. The highway traffic was unbearably loud, and there was knocking on the window.

Wait. Knocking.

Uh-oh, not good.

He sat up sharply, wincing a little as the t-shirt rubbed against his still half-open slash wound on his chest. By now it was pretty much scabbed over, but there was still a clean red streak across the shirt, beginning to turn caked and brown. He heard knocking again.

"Helloooo!" cried a voice through the glass.

Riku moaned and rolled over lazily in the back seat as Sora put his own upright again, and coiled back to come face-to-face with a person so covered in pink it was almost _blinding_.

"Who the fuck is it!" Riku shouted. The Pink Man clicked his tongue.

"Temper, temper! _Ruuuude_."

Sora turned the car to "on" but didn't start it, and rolled the window down halfway. The guy didn't look like a cop, after all. "I'm sorry, we're not having any car troubles if that's what you're asking."

"Oh, no!" The man shook his head. "But, uh, weren't you two on the news last night?"

Sora paled. Riku thrust his head out. "Go _away_." he hissed.

"But don't you two need a place to stay?"

Sora paused, surprised. "…Why do you want to help us?"

The man scoffed. "Are you kidding? Like, half my complex is practically _dying_ inside for you. The media racked up such a sympathy rate, _oh!_ It's just _di-SASTROUS!_" (Here the man flicked his flimsy wrist, and Sora couldn't help but stare.) "The police are SO upset."

"A little early for Christmas Giving, isn't it?" Riku hissed, getting into the driver's seat and starting the car. "Go away."

"Riku!"

"No, no, no, _wait!_" The man banged his hands on the car. "Seriously, I know the perfect place for you two to go, if you'll just follow me! It's the silver Saturn in front of you, see? I was meaning to stop by his house anyway."

Riku glared at the man. "Why the fuck should we trust you?"

He held up his hands, looking defensive. "Puh. Do I _look_ like I'd turn you in?" Riku narrowed his eyes, Sora nervously shifted in his seat, and the man looked around idly.

"You know what might be betterrr?" he suddenly cooed. "You can just ride with me—I'll betcha the fuzzies are lookin' for you _right now_."

Sora glanced at Riku sideways. He leaned over, and whispered, "You know, we don't really have a lot of options…"

"I have Cheetos!" said the Pink Man. "Makes a nice cheesy breakfast!"

There was a long silence, and then Riku sighed and turned the car off. "Fine."

The Pink Man shook his fist. "Good choice, Riku!" He paused, backtracking. "Oh, excuse me. That is _so_ unfair of me." He put his hands delicately on his chest. "My name is Marluxia. There, now we all know each other's names!"

"Great." Riku got out of the car, and Sora followed suit. Marluxia just smiled and led them both into his car. Sora sat up front, and Riku sat in the back.

"So…who are you taking us to?" Sora asked. Marluxia just grinned and pulled out into the highway when it was safe.

"Weeell," he started, "Let's just sayyy…he's…very popular. Aaand, you know him very well…" he smirked, "aaand, he has lots of playmates for you!"

"Playmates?"

"Don't dodge the bush, just tell us." Riku grunted. Marluxia grinned at him over the back seat.

"Okay, have it your way. His name is…Cloud Strife."

Sora's eyes widened. "_WHAT?_"

For all practical purposes, it was just as well that Marluxia picked them up. Someone had reported them on the road that morning, and ten minutes after they'd driven away, the police found their abandoned red Sedan on the side of the road.

"Dammit." Cursed Officer White, who had been on duty for this since Saturday.

"Sora's mother called and asked if we'd gotten a lead," said his partner. "Maybe we should call back and keep her posted."

Officer White shook his head. "Maybe someone saw them take off."

"I doubt it. Do you know many people who stop in the middle of a major highway to double-check a Grand Theft Auto?"

"We'll have to try. That boy's gotta go home, and he's kidnapped the Misses' son."

* * *

When they had been on the road for thirty minutes, they passed a green information sign, and Sora read it with some interest.

**BURMECIA 5 MILES**

**ESTHAR 20 MILES**

"Oh my God, did we _drive_ that far?" Sora gasped. Burmecia was the next big city near Alexandria, which was more of a collection of counties—not really a city. It was…how long had they spent driving, again?

"I drove all day and night, Sora." Riku pointed out. "You cover a lot of distance when you drive from two P.M. to midnight."

"You can _forget_ about the hike home, honey!" laughed Marluxia. Sora was already feeling a little homesick. Marluxia was right—for one thing, he still only had his driving _permit_ (he'd earned it only a few months before they'd moved), and for another, he was so directionally challenged that he would get lost on the way there. He still had trouble remembering the differences between a number for a Route and a beltway. He sighed and relaxed (reluctantly) in his seat.

Silence for a while—then Sora heard something. Crying. Or laughing.

He frowned and turned around to look at Riku. "Hey…are you okay?"

Riku's shoulders were shaking with laughter, and he was bent over, his head in his hands. He wouldn't stop laughing—he leaned back, head tossed back as he pulled his hands down over his face, and ran them up through his hair, covering his face again.

"Ohhh, God!"

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing!" Riku laughed. "It's just…I mean…" Riku looked down at his hands, and laughed some more, his eyes shining, his smile wide. He bent over again and chuckled, then sat up and smacked his hands on his legs.

"I could cum all over my pants right now, and I wouldn't give a flying fuck." He nodded, seemingly satisfied with this off-the-wall answer. "That's what it's like."

Sora opened his mouth to respond, then closed it. Marluxia was giggling up front and mumbled something, and Sora pivoted to face front. _Ooookay. Obviously, **he's** happy._

But wouldn't that make sense? After all, Riku had just escaped a lifetime of abuse from the person he must have at first thought would treat him like real family. That was definitely something to celebrate. He smiled—at least, now, Riku was able to freely laugh and smile and to be himself. Since they'd left, he'd gradually begun to return to what he suspected was the _real_ Riku. And that made Sora feel happy. Riku was going to heal. It would take time, but he would heal.

"It's like sex, but it's not." Riku said.

"I hope not." Marluxia teased. "We wouldn't want you making a mess all over my car…"

"Bull_shit_," laughed Riku. "I'll mess it up if I want…"

"Oh no you won't!" cried Marluxia. "I'll dump you right on the side of the road, I will!"

Thus Riku decided it would be best to keep his dick in his pants. (Not that he'd planned to take it out, anyway.)

* * *

Sora had thought it would be a wonder just to see Burmecia, but now he was in awe at the thousands of acres of _green_. As they approached the suburbs of the city, there were acres upon endless acres of land, all of it someone's back yard, front yard, or a massive golf course. And the houses were _gigantic!_

"Everything's so huge," he gasped in awe.

"White collar suburbs for the rich people," Marluxia said with a shrug. "What do you expect?"

"Don't let your eyes fall out, Country Boy." Sora pouted at Riku and stared ahead, trying to cover up his continuing amazement with little success. Marluxia began to pull up to a house with two stories (and a basement, which they didn't see yet) and thousands of acres of land. Toys and bikes were all scattered around the front yard and there was a woman with short gray hair cleaning it all up. She stared at Marluxia's car, and Sora noticed she had an eyepatch.

"What happened to _her?_" Riku wondered.

Marluxia rolled his window down as she approached and smiled. "Fuujiiin! Heeyyy!"

"MORNING." Fuujin grunted. Sora coiled at the tone, and Marluxia smirked.

"Don't worry, she's always like this."

Fuujin looked between Marluxia, Sora, and then Riku—and she looked very surprised. Then angry as she glared at the pink-haired man. Riku and Sora just watched silently as the scenario unfolded.

"BOYS."

"Ta-daaa!" cried Marluxia. He whispered to her, "Fugitives from Afar!"

Fuujin jabbed Marluxia's arm. "RECKLESS."

"Well, they're not coming back with me!"

"RECKLESS." Fuujin cursed, hissing at him. "CLOUD, FULL!"

"Why don't we ask him?" Marluxia held his hands up in prayer. "Pleeease, Fuu? I already brought them to the driveway."

Fuujin glared at Riku and Sora, and growled. Riku stared back at her when she leered at him.

"You have something for me, One-Eye?"

Fuujin scowled and stormed off into the house without a word. Sora frowned.

"Riku, that wasn't very nice."

"Hey, when the cobra spits, spit back."

"That would make one very angry cobra," Marluxia muttered. "Fuujin's _nasty_ when she's upset. You might wanna learn to bite your tongue around her. She doesn't say much, but she's a time bomb, I'll tell you that." Marluxia laughed. "Ten to zero, boom! Mushroom cloud!"

Sora examined Cloud's house with awe. Riku watched him from the back, and he grinned.

"Country Boy likes."

"Shut up," groaned Sora. A few moments later, Cloud was meeting Marluxia inside, and had reluctantly ushered Riku and Sora in as well. They were just lucky the cops patrolling the neighborhood were currently off-duty and that the paparazzi weren't around.

"I can't believe you'd do this to me." Cloud grumbled. "Why did you bring them _here?_"

"They're not coming with me!"

"And why the heck not!" Cloud cried. "I have enough mouths to feed, Marluxia. I can't believe you'd bring two boys, let alone _fugitives_ into my house."

"Get off me," Riku growled, nudging away a little ten-year-old boy who was asking him far too many questions. Sora was trying to cheer up the situation by entertaining the little ones with impressions of people and funny faces. He was succeeding with a high percentage rate. After all, he'd taken care of Selphie.

"They're not fugitives! Well…" Marluxia made hand gestures as he spoke. "Think of them as children without a home."

Cloud growled. "Marluxia, I don't know if I can even afford it, okay? Even _my_ wallet's tight these days. Damn economy's been slipping like soap on tile."

"RECKLESS," hissed Fuujin.

"You're gettin' Cloud in a whole lotta trouble, ya know?"

"Dumb cameraman." Seifer crossed his arms. "You know, it could have been a whole lot simpler if you'd just taken them with you."

"They're bad luck for my plants!" Marluxia whined. "My babies need a very specific balance of _aura_."

"What sort of bullshit reason is that!" Riku snarled. Cloud winced.

"Please…there are children in the room."

Riku rolled his eyes and spread his arms out, gesturing to the thousands of little kids flocking around him. "Like I didn't figure that out sooner."

"Marluxia, this is going to kill me. The press is going to come straight back to me for the big news stories now." Cloud grumbled. "They were all focused on those two boys…and now _you_ brought them to MY house. We _just_ got rid of all the wire taps on our phone…God, I can't believe this." Cloud began to pace, running his fingers through his hair. He sighed and turned, whistling.

"Everyone clear out!"

"Awwwww!" groaned the children.

"But we wanna play with Sora!" Vivi whined.

"Sorry, kids, the grown-ups have to talk." Cloud pointed to the stairs. "Go and play in the upstairs rooms, or in the basement! Come on, file out, I won't repeat myself!"

"It's okay—I'll come with you guys, how does that sound?"

"YAY!" cried the children, ushering Sora into the basement and stampeding down the stairs. Riku shook his head. When silence ensued, he raised his hands up.

"Oh Lord, I praise thee!" he said, mimicking a preacher.

"Silence IS golden in this house." Cloud explained. He sat down on one of the three couches with Fuu, Seifer and Rai. "Now, Marluxia…"

"Come on, Strife, you gotta take them in!"

"I told you, no."

Riku looked between Cloud and Marluxia as they started to bicker, and then finally raised his hand. "Erm. Can I say something?"

Cloud looked at him, and so did Marluxia.

"You know," Riku explained, "I left my fucking rapist's car on the side of the highway. Far as I can tell, if this prissy little Frill-Fest here is too chicken to take us back, you don't have a lot of choice."

"_Frill-Fest?_" whined the photographer.

"Come on, your flaming is so high, my Gaydar broke."

Seifer snorted and covered his hand with his mouth, hiding the biggest grin he'd had all day, and started chuckling. Marluxia just leered at Riku with his face bright red, and looked away with a "Hmf!", obviously offended.

Cloud blinked, and put his head in his hands, sighing. "Let me think." He muttered.

"Frankly, Mister Model-Person, you don't have a lot of time for that." Riku spread himself out on the third couch and stretched. "We either crash here or you take us back to the police, and the fucker makes me bleed again, God forbid that he's alive. I told Sora he shoulda let me strangle 'im…"

Fuujin whispered to Seifer, "PITY PLAY."

"No doubt about that." Seifer grumbled. "But he's got a point."

"I can't keep you from the authorities," Cloud said calmly. "I'm sure if you get a restraining order—"

Riku shot up, his eyes angry and flaring. "Like _hell_ he'll listen to a restraining order! The sicko raped me since I was thirteen, he could be on fucking Death Row and he'll still make his last will and testament forcing me to ride his dick!"

Cloud glared at him. "If you're going to corner me into keeping you, the least you can do is show some decent respect!"

Riku straightened haughtily. "If you want respect, the least you can do is keep me."

"Hey, you watch it," Seifer growled. "You're pushing for a can of whoop-ass."

Marluxia sank back against the couch. "Aaaalll-_righty_ then."

"Look, all I'm saying is, we're out of options, and you're out of time." Riku stood up off the couch. "If you're going to make a choice, it's simple—we stay, or we don't stay. So what's it going to be?"

Cloud groaned and hid his face. _It's **not** that simple!_ He thought. _There's too much at stake, too many complexities! This is dangerous! I shouldn't be keeping him here…_

Unfortunately, reason beat down on Cloud like rain and thunder, but did little to push back the voice of sympathy in his head. Cloud was going to kill Marluxia for bringing them here—he was a bleeding heart, an orphan who cared for orphans. He suddenly felt used. Marluxia clearly knew that if there was anyone who would take care of them, it was him.

He glanced up and glared at the photographer, and then sat up and sighed.

"Marluxia, leave. Cancel tomorrow's photoshoot."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it. Reschedule for next week; I don't care what day." Cloud rubbed his throbbing temple, eyes shut. "I need Aspirin."

Riku smiled. "Where's your medicine cabinet?"

* * *

**Author's Notes:** And that's one of the ways Cloud is now a part of the major plot. 


	26. Ch 26: A Right Time for Changes

**Author's Notes:** Thanks for reading, guys.

I'm sorry that these chapters are so short - they really should be longer, but considering how this works out, generally I only put about 1,000 to 3,000 words each chapter. Ones like 8 (5,000+ words) are a Godsend. I'll have a long chapter somewhere along the line...somewhere...

Enjoy, anyway. This one was amusing even to me.

* * *

Chapter 26

_"A Right Time for Changes"_

Riku went downstairs a little after Cloud had consumed his desired Aspirin, and saw that Sora was struggling to get out from underneath a pile of giggling children while the teenagers played arcade games. Sora's head poked out from under the masses and he spotted Riku, and smiled.

"Hey…! So how'd it go…?"

"Cloud said he'll shelter us for a while." Riku said. The children proceeded to shriek, scream and cheer; Riku cringed and covered his ears. It was entirely too noisy down here.

"That's great!" Sora cried. "I'm glad, Riku." Riku smiled at him.

"You can't fool me. I know you'd rather be with your family."

Sora sulked as the children all climbed off, and he tried to smile. "You know, I thought about it…and…if you were so worried about me, you didn't have to be."

Riku's face turned grim. "Don't joke like that, Sora. Nobody holds their own against Ansem except me."

"But you did a lot of horrible things just to scrape by with him," Sora pointed out, standing up to talk with him. "And besides—in the end, no matter how well you did, he still had the upper hand."

"That's exactly why I took you with me." As the children all scattered and began playing with their toys (seeing Sora was now preoccupied), Riku stared at the streak of red staining Sora's too-tight army-green shirt. He lifted up a palm and touched it, and Sora looked down. Riku ran his thumb from one end of the cut to the other, never taking his eyes off of it.

"You're lucky that this was all you got," he murmured.

"Whassat?" Sora couldn't hear him over the noise. Riku sighed and looked at him.

"I said, you're lucky that was all you got," he repeated. Riku took in their surroundings and frowned—he sensed there wasn't going to be a lot of privacy here. He took Sora's hand and tugged. "C'mon."

"Where are we going?"

"Someplace quiet." Riku muttered, turning a corner. He found a hallway which had two doors, one on either side, and he picked the one with the door slightly ajar. He chuckled. "Whaddya know, there's bedrooms down here, too."

"Why'd you drag me back here?" Sora asked as Riku turned on the light, and closed the door.

"I can't stand little kids," Riku grumbled. "Way too noisy. Besides, I wanna have a look."

* * *

Sora froze as he remembered that Riku was actually gay, and turned a bright shade of red. "H-Have a look at _what!_" he cried. Riku's eyes rolled. 

"Your naked mom." Sora's eyes widened, his face crinkling in instant disgust, and Riku grabbed the hem of his shirt. "I wanna see the cut, stupid."

"I-It's fine!" Sora pushed Riku's hands off. "It stopped bleeding yesterday."

"Just let me see it. Ansem's cut me as deep as an inch before."

"N-No, really, I-I don't think it's that bad."

Riku gave Sora a deadpan stare. "Sora, it hasn't seen so much as a tube of Neosporin since you got it. If it gets infected, it'll be your fault."

Sora pouted. "It…scabbed over…" he mumbled, his face still a little red. Riku continued to stare at him, and Sora shrank back against the wall, squirming nervously. Riku took the hem of Sora's shirt between his fingers.

"Just let me see it. Come on, I won't look at anything else, I promise."

"Y…You…" Sora stuttered over his words, and Riku waited patiently, his fingers never leaving Sora's shirt. The brunet was starting to have a feeling that Riku was going to do this whether he liked it or not. (_So **protective,**_ he thought.)

When Sora fell silent, which was a relative "okay," Riku carefully bunched up the shirt and slid it up over Sora's torso. Sora nervously lifted his arms and let Riku take it off.

"Would you stop being so tense? It's not like I'm gonna pin you to the wall and eat you." Riku did nudge Sora up against the wall again, though. "We're both boys, here."

_Yeah, but one of us isn't **gay!**_

"You're so homophobic."

Sora jumped, blinking. Whoa. Was it possible that Riku could read minds?

"Don't look at me like that. It's written all over your face." Riku imitated a bawling, worried tone. " 'Oh God, he's gay and he's making me take off my shirt! What do I do, what do I do!' "

"I-I'm not homophobic!" Sora whined. Riku snorted and put his hands on Sora's chest, examining the cut. It was clean—long, but clean. Roughly expanding over the whole plane of Sora's chest. Sure enough, like he'd said, it was scabbed over—mostly. The center spots of it still seemed to be an open wound. Riku made a "hrmm" sound as he checked it.

"Not jagged. Not too deep, but…deep enough…" Riku brushed a thumb over one of the open spots. Sora winced.

"Ow!"

"Yeah, that's not done healing yet." Riku's thumb stayed near the spot he'd touched. "I'll ask the model guy for some ointment. Don't know if he has any gauze patch or whatever. That'd be best for a cut like this, but a couple dozen Band-Aids'll do it, too."

Sora was a little surprised. "You're starting to sound like a doctor."

Riku tossed his shirt at him. "One, it's common sense. Two, I had to treat myself a lot."

Sora felt a little guilty when Riku said that. He could now actually imagine Riku patching himself up after a harsh night, dabbing away the blood and wrapping the wounds. Poor guy.

He fought to get the shirt back on over his head, and paused for a minute while Riku sat down on the nearby bed, head hanging a little low. Sora blushed as he went back to the earlier comment about being homophobic.

"…I'm not homophobic," he repeated. "I had a gay friend at home too, you know."

Riku smirked. "Oh, really. Did you _know_ he was gay?"

Sora blinked, and breathed deep. "Aa—" But he stopped. Silence, except for the kids playing out in the basement.

_…Shit. That's a good question. DID I know Hayner was gay?_ Now that Sora actually stopped to consider it, he hadn't said a damn word about Hayner's gender preference until just now. Maybe he just never noticed it before…but then why would he bring it up now?

_Oh God, am I actually starting to **notice** these things?_

Sora thought back suddenly on every time he'd spent playing army or biking or skateboarding with Hayner. All the comments and jokes passed his way, the silly entendres that always made him laugh. And then Sora felt his knees go weak. Now that he actually thought about it, Hayner had been _making passes_ at him! _No wonder he got upset when I dated Kairi,_ Sora thought. He frowned. _Man. I must've looked like a real jerk._

"I'll take your surprised silence as a 'no'." said Riku.

Sora only pouted and sat down next to him with a groan, frustrated. He sighed and crossed his arms in his lap, gazing at the door.

"…You started smiling," Sora said. "And you're not all violent."

Riku chuckled. "What, you mean I'm not bashing in people's jaws?"

"…More or less," Sora replied. Riku just nodded vaguely.

"It's just…when he hurt you…" he looked at his hands. "I just got so _mad_. I _exploded_…and I'm _glad_ I picked that time to hurt him. Or else," Riku glanced at him, "it would have been you instead of him."

Sora nodded. "I understand." He smiled. "It is about time for things to change, isn't it?"

Riku shrugged, looking away. "Maybe. Or it could just be time for things to start."

"To start?"

"Before Friday…before you, even when Tidus was around…I wasn't living a real life." Riku stared down at his lap. "My father hurt Mom a lot. She couldn't stand it—filed for divorce. But she didn't win custody. I only saw her again a few days ago. Then Ansem…it's all just…strung together, one dark chapter following the next." Riku paused.

He gazed at Sora again. "I owe you guys a lot, Sora—and Tidus and Roxas—but mostly you. I want to thank you."

Sora fell silent, but then he smiled, and chuckled a little.

"Heh…you're welcome."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Yes. You read "Hayner" right. 

Bear it in mind.


	27. Ch 27: The Phone Disconnected

**Author's Notes:** Another fast update, slightly longer chapter. Things are starting to settle in a little bit.

Now I must contemplate on how to further this lovely relationship.

* * *

Chapter 27

_"The Phone Disconnected"_

Insanity was the main course that evening. With two more kids to feed, Cloud was a little unprepared to give them seats at the table and enough food for them all. He managed to make it so that Riku and Sora could share rations (he apologized that they would eat so little, and said if they got hungry again, they could help themselves to the snacks), though they also sacrificed a real seat at the table for being squeezed in at one side. Afterwards, Riku went straight away snatching the DDR—he didn't talk much with the other teenagers, but he still participated in minimal socialization. And Sora busied himself playing Twister and board games with the kids in generally the same room.

Then around the time the little ones went to bed, Sora occupied himself watching Riku dance. So did most of the envious boys and girls who watched on in awe.

Riku had just finished up the most fast-paced song on the game at Hard and landed several perfects, so the living room exploded in cheers. "I like him already!" exclaimed Zell. He threw a few shadow-sparring punches. "Maybe he can teach me how to fight, too!"

Riku just shrugged and stepped down from the platform, wiping off some of the sweat on his brow. Sora stretched out on the only empty couch in the living room and smiled.

"You're really good at that."

Riku grinned. "Country Boy likes?"

Sora glowered at him and lowered his head with a pout. "Stop trying to catch me. That's mean. Tidus did that to me once, I won't fall for it again."

Riku turned his eyes away with a haughty smirk. "Just open your mouth and insert your foot." He teased.

"You wish," Sora scoffed. "_Selphie_ might fall for something like that, but—" Sora stopped. Then he shot up. "Oh, crap! Selphie…Dad…Mom!"

"You're not flaking out on me already, are you?" Riku groaned. Sora jumped up off the couch, and yanked on Seifer's arm when he passed by, making the older blond blink.

"Where's your phone? I want to call my parents…they have to know I'm okay."

"Are you joking? This house is a beacon center for wire taps and paparazzi." Seifer shook his head. "You're not going to use our house phone."

"Then can I borrow a cell phone? Do you have one?" Sora clapped his hands together in a prayer position. "Pleeeease!"

"It's not very smart to call home at this point," Seifer said. Riku just shook his head.

"Country Boy misses his family."

Sora glared at him, but then quickly turned to Seifer. "I won't tell them where we are. I swear. Besides, they live in the Stone Age. Dial-up, no cable or satellite, and no caller ID."

"_Ouch!_" Riku winced. "How do you _live_ in that _cave?_"

"Like you would know!" Sora protested, but he stopped and looked guilty instantly after, remembering Riku's _living situations_ with Ansem.

"At least we had cable and DSL." Riku replied, not even thinking about it. "Even in my old home. You probably don't even get Cartoon Network."

"Show-off," Sora grumbled after a pause. Seifer sighed.

"...I'll give you five minutes. _Five_." Seifer pulled out his cell phone and handed it to Sora. Sora beamed.

"Thank you! I owe you one!"

"Sure, sure, just call them already." Sora did so, dialing up his house number and cradling the phone to his ear as he went into a corner of the room where nobody else was. The phone rang for several moments before someone picked up.

"Hello? Is this the police?"

Sora paused, hesitant. "...Mom?"

"...Sora? Oh, God! Honey, it's Sora!" Lisa sounded like she'd been crying. She sniffled and her voice was choked-up. "Oh God, sweetheart, are you okay? We're so _worried_ about you!"

"I'm okay, Mom." Sora said gently. "Calm down...are _you_ okay?"

"Oh," his mother laughed, "Dear, you know how I am—waterworks!" Sora smiled.

"Is Selphie alright?"

"Oh, Sora, Selphie is so upset about you. She keeps asking when you're going to come back. Baby, where _are_ you? The police are looking—"

"What about Dad?"

"Frets every hour, and I think he's paced a ditch into the floor." his mother chuckled, still sniffling. Sora nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds like Dad."

"Sora, where are you?"

Sora shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mom. I can't tell you that."

"_What?_ Why! Is Riku making you stay quiet? I can't believe it—that boy—he's so reckless! He's not making you do anything, is he, Sora?"

Sora blinked, not sure what she meant by 'making him do anything'; however, the first thing that came to mind...he recalled Riku teasing him for being so tense when he checked the slash wound, which was now properly patched and cared for.

"I, um..."

"Sora, if he's making you do things you don't want to do, you have to say 'no'!"

"Mooom!" Sora turned red. "Riku's not—he's not_ doing things,_ okay? He's not that kind of guy..."

His mother laughed nervously. "Sora, he _kidnapped_ you—twice, as far as I'm concerned!"

"He...He doesn't mean to..." Sora frowned, knowing his defense was very weak. He wasn't sure how to back this up...it would be difficult for his mother to understand. "Look, Mom...I know Riku's kind of weird, and I know this whole thing is tough, but..."

"Honey, please come home. Any way you can. Please. I don't care if Riku threatens to—"

"That's just it!" Sora cried, a little angry. "Mom, he didn't make me come with him." (That was a white lie; technically, at first, he _had_ been reluctant.) "He's not threatening me, or anything...I mean, if anything, ever since he took off, he's had a level head on his shoulders for once."

"I won't believe it. No boy who kidnaps my son has a level head!"

"Mom, try to think about this from Riku's perspective." Sora reasoned.

"Riku's perspective? I don't give a _damn_ about his perspective! Don't get me wrong, honey, I sympathize for what that bad man put him through—but that doesn't give him any right to take you away!"

Sora sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Maternal instincts were hard to win over.

"I'm sorry, Mom. It's a 'whatever, whenever' thing."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Sora bit his lip. "I...I kind of want to stay with him."

Lisa shrieked. "_Are you out of your mind!_"

"I want to make sure he's going to get better...I don't know...it's hard to explain." Sora sighed again. "Just, please...if the police ask...I never called. Please, Mom."

"Sora—!"

"And tell Kairi I'm okay, too. She's probably scared right now."

"No, Sora, listen to—"

"I love you." Sora hung up before his mother could argue. Then he returned the phone to Seifer, who took it with a nod and put it in his pocket. "Thank you. I just needed to let them know I wasn't hurt."

"No problem." The blond went back upstairs, where Fuujin and Raijin were retreating from the masses, and Cloud was talking with his friend Grievers on the computer.

Riku sat down next to Sora on the couch when the brunet took a seat. "Blew over well?"

"Not really," he groaned. "Mom's upset. She's pretty much lost all trust in you."

"I'm not surprised." Riku shrugged his shoulders. "She's your mother. All she wants is for me to give you back to her."

Sora smiled a little bitterly. "Moms...right?"

"I guess so." Was Riku's indefinite reply.

They watched the teenagers playing their video games for a while, and then Sora glanced at Riku. "How did you get so good at DDR, anyway?"

"I don't know." Riku shrugged again, staring at the plasma flat-screen. "It's not that hard...follow the arrows and let the beat move you. That's it."

"Arrgh," Sora groaned, "You make it sound so easy."

Riku smirked, looking at him. "Well, that's because it is."

Sora shoved him. "You show-off! I've played that before, like, once. I _sucked_."

"Well you're not going to get anywhere just playing it once." Riku chuckled. He went back to watching some of the kids play Mario Kart Double Dash. "Maybe I'll versus you sometime. Might do you good to get some practice in, just like everything else."

"You'll kill me," Sora complained. "I have two left feet. I'm a horrible dancer."

Riku shrugged his shoulders again. "What's dancing? Listen to the beat, pick up your feet. Wave your arms, move your hips. Bend over, stand up; crouch down, jump up. All it is is music moving your body."

Sora grinned mockingly at him. "Heyyy, you should be a poet."

"AHA HA HA...how about _no_."

* * *

Cloud sighed and rested his head on his computer desk.

"And now I have two extra mouths to feed."

"You adopted two more?" Grievers didn't sound so sure. "I don't remember this, but isn't there a limit to how many children you can have?"

"Well, I adopted them from multiple agencies and orphanages..."

"Christ." Grievers muttered. "How do you afford it all?"

"Good question." Cloud leaned back in his seat and sighed. "At any rate..." he trailed off, pausing. Grievers waited several seconds.

"...At any rate...?" he questioned.

Cloud didn't respond. Grievers fell silent.

"...How are things with your boyfriend?"

Cloud groaned again. "Rocky. I called and told him about the two extra kids. He wasn't happy about it."

"He doesn't like what you do?"

"He's just not good with kids." Cloud shook his head. "He can't understand why I feel the need to take care of so many."

"Neither do I," admitted Grievers. "Want to enlighten me? Just for the sake of discussion."

The blond thought about that, and then closed his eyes, seeing Sister Rosalyn open up that closet door and seeing the police carry away the dead bodies of his parents, and the scattered mess all around the house. He could still remember how they questioned him about what had happened, with Rosalyn, a child counselor, _and_ a lawyer present.

"...It's kind of uncomfortable...for me to talk about."

"...Something from when you were young," Grievers guessed. Cloud got a light smirk on his face.

"Grievers, when did you get to be psychic?"

"I'm just a good guesser. Always have been."

Cloud fell silent, breathing deeply and then letting out a heavy sigh.

"Stressed?" asked Grievers.

"Tired," he corrected. "Thank you, though. I enjoyed the talk."

"Not at all." Grievers added after a minute, "But you know, it's like I'm suddenly becoming your therapist. Just to let you know...I make a bad therapist."

Cloud laughed. "I'll keep it in mind," he said tiredly. "I'll talk to you later, G."

"Night, Riddlez."

Cloud nodded and turned off the Voice conversation, then closed out of MSN Messenger. He stared at the computer screen in front of him, sighing. When had life suddenly become so difficult? Was it when Sister Rosalyn took him in? When he landed his job as a model? When he began sleeping with Sephiroth? Or was it now, when things suddenly didn't make sense anymore...?

The blond turned his computer off and got showered and in his pajamas before telling the teenagers to go to bed, reminding them they had school tomorrow. Then he gave Riku and Sora a room to borrow in the basement which was vacant (ironically to the boys, it was the same one where Riku had checked Sora's cut).

"I'm sorry about the setup," Cloud apologized. "I'm afraid you'll have to share the bed, but it's a Full, so it should be able to fit you both comfortably."

Sora didn't look too happy about it. Riku glanced sideways at him.

"I'm not going to molest you," he said.

"Shut _up!_" the brunet whined. Cloud shook his head.

"There's a bathroom connected to it—" Cloud swung open the door to said bathroom and clicked the light on. "—shower, toilet, sink, toothbrush and toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash. It's a little cramped, but it's what you get."

"Do we really have to share a bed?" Sora groaned. Cloud thought for a moment, then put his hands on his hips.

"Well, if you're really uncomfortable about it, you can ask to borrow someone's sleeping bag, but I warn you that the floor isn't very comfortable."

Sora didn't say anything to that, so Cloud just left it to sit on his mind and went out the door. "Goodnight, you two. Oh—" he turned around. "Wait, I forgot. While you're living here, we have rules. Keep the house clean, put away what you play with, and don't answer the door. Ever. Tabloids sometimes stop by and try to get information. Raijin will usually answer it—just let him do that. Keep the curtains shut, keep all the doors and windows locked—"

"Jesus Christ, it's like a jailtime lockdown." Riku grumbled. Cloud shrugged, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry. That's how it is. Unless you want someone to find out I'm keeping you here and report you to the police..."

"Good point," Sora said quickly, before Riku could open his mouth. Riku glared at him.

"One last thing. Don't pick up the phone. Now, about clothes—I guess you won't have much to wear except what you have for now, but I'm pretty sure Zidane can share clothes with Sora, and Riku, you might be able to wear some of Seifer's old duds. I'll ask them to scrounge a few things up for you."

"Whatever," said Riku.

"Thanks so much, Mr. Strife."

Cloud blinked. "...Just Cloud is fine."

Sora smiled nervously. "Heh heh...um, Cloud." he corrected himself.

The model nodded his head courteously and began to shut the door behind him as he left. "Goodnight," he said to them, and then he let them get settled in on their own as he went upstairs and retired to bed.

* * *

After brushing their teeth and stripping down to their boxers, Sora and Riku stared at the Full-sized bed. Sora blinked at it, crinkled his eyebrows, pouted, crossed his arms—while Riku simply hopped right in and flung the covers up to pull them over him.

"Bed or floor?" he asked.

Sora stared at the hardwood floor. Most of the kids were already asleep. It was a little late to ask for a sleeping bag.

He grumbled about his bad luck and crawled in under the covers, staying as far to his side of the bed as possible without falling off. Riku snickered.

"Homophobe."

"_I am __**not** homophobic!_"


	28. Ch 28: Concerns

**Author's Notes:** No...there's absolutely NO space between these updates. lol. Even I'm surprised at myself, but unfortunately, that's what you get when you're writing such short chapters. My apologies.

WOW, we've_ cleared _**TWO-HUNDRED** reviews! A_mazing_. I'm so happy everyone's enjoying this. Let's see this through!

I wonder what Kairi's thinking?

* * *

Chapter 28

_"Concerns"_

By late afternoon on Tuesday night, Kairi and Naminé had actually driven down to Bastion County onto Sora's street. Their father got out of the car, and Lisa came up to him and they shared a brief hug.

"Daniel, thank you for coming to visit."

"Much obliged." said Daniel. He turned to face Sora's father as he approached, and they locked hands and patted each other's backs.

"Glad you could make it, Dan."

"Not at all, John. You look like you ain't slept in days."

"Lisa hasn't, either. We're worried."

"Selphie is out cold in her room." Lisa filled in. "She came straight home from school, and she was so tired that she just went up to take a nap. It's like her spunkyness suddenly got zapped out of her."

Kairi looked up at Lisa. "Mrs. Tilmitt, is Sora going to be okay?"

Naminé squeezed her sister's hand reassuringly as Lisa forced a smile.

"Don't worry, Kairi. He'll be back soon. I promise."

"You know, I hear Hayner's folks are gonna come down soon, too, for a little while. Said they'd come give support soon as Hayner's caught up with his schoolwork."

Lisa frowned. "I thought Hayner was looking forward to being a Marine."

Daniel paused at this, and coughed into his hand. "Er, there were a few complications, and he was refused entry." Kairi leered up at her father—everyone in the neighborhood now knew Hayner was gay. But some (like Daniel) were put off by it and tried to keep it under lock and key, like it was some sort of forbidden secret. Kairi just couldn't understand why people hated gays so much. She never found anything wrong against them.

"What happened?" asked John.

"He tried to lie about his age—you can't apply until you're eighteen, and Hayner's still got a year to tick off before he can re-enter the tests." Which was true, but even Naminé still frowned at the way her father seemed so uneasy about mentioning it, since it hadn't been the only reason. Sadly, the last part would never come true. The rumor was that Hayner was informed he would be refused any re-entries because of his sexual orientation. Naminé recalled how upset he had been, sulking on his front porch, scowling like a stinkbug.

Lisa shrugged her shoulders. "You have to give it to him, he was determined." She looked down at the twin girls then, and gasped.

"Oh, Naminé, you dyed your hair!"

"Do you like it?" She asked, flipping it over her shoulder with a smile. "I guess I never did see y'all before ya left. I was down with the nastiest cold. But I did this right before y'all moved."

"It looks adorable, Naminé."

Kairi grinned. "Yeah, she makes a great _blond_." She emphasized the word in such a way that Naminé ended up sending her a deadly glare, pouting.

"Well, why don't we all go inside?" John suggested. "There's milk, tea, juice, snacks—we should settle in and talk. We're not going to do much just standing around out here."

* * *

But that's mostly what Kairi did—sit outside. As evening fell, she found herself staring out into the cul-de-sac with a gloomy look on her face. One of worry. After she had spent a half hour gazing at nothing, her fraternal twin sister sat beside her on the porch.

"What's wrong, sis?" asked Naminé.

"I'm worried," Kairi sighed. "I hope that Sora's okay."

"Awww, poor girrl." she cooed, hugging her auburn-haired twin. "Don't worry. Sora can take care of himself. He'll be okay—you'll see!" She grinned. "Maybe when he comes back, he'll give you a _big_ hug and a kiss, like in the movies!"

Kairi knew how people kissed in the movies. The thought made her blush. Would she really have to use her _tongue_ like that? _Hmmm,_ she pondered, _I wonder how Sora will like that. _Her mind began to trail off, and she thought of how she could properly kiss Sora upon his safe return, and she got a dreamy smile on her face. Naminé giggled.

"See? You're already off in Fantasy Land."

"You hush up," Kairi giggled, pushing her sister, who pushed back playfully.

"Naw, _you_ hush up! I don't wanna hear nuthin' of what's goin' on in that pretty head of yours..."

"Uh-huh, right." Kairi stuck her tongue out. "Let me remind you that _you're_ the one who had a crush on Hayner..."

Naminé squealed and blushed. "I didn't _know!_ I didn't know, okay! Good Gawd!"

Kairi and Naminé laughed at the memories for a time, and then they both eventually sighed and settled down.

"Poor Hayner," said Naminé. "He wanted so bad to be a Marine."

"I'm sure he'll recover." Kairi nodded. "Yeah—you know that popular tournament thing spreadin' around? The whatchamacallits..."

"Y'mean the Struggle Battles?"

"Right, those," Kairi snapped her fingers and pointed at Naminé, thankful for the help. "I'll bet he'll love those. Seems like it'd be right up his alley."

"But tournaments don't count as a job," Naminé pointed out.

"There's big prize money. It's a start. Besides, if you're a long-reigning champion, you always get the prize money."

They went silent again. Kairi looked up at the stars, and thought she saw Sora's face in them. She frowned. _I must have the Frets **real** bad if I'm seein' him in the sky, _she thought. _But I can't help it. I'm so scared. They said they found his blood down there, too..._ Kairi's face turned grim and she looked down. Her sister frowned.

"Hey..." she hugged Kairi and kissed her cheek. "Don't worry, girl, it'll all work out."

"They said they found his blood in that...that..._place_." Kairi shook his head. "Nami...my poor Sora...what if he got...?" She swallowed, looking up. "I mean...what if he got _raped?_"

Naminé stared at her for a minute, then drew back and stood up. "Hey, here's a good idea! Mrs. Tilmitt's got Edy's Double-Fudge Chocolate ice cream in the house. Let's go grab the scoopers and eat it until we get fat!"

Kairi joined her sister in standing. "I don't wanna get fat," she complained. "Sora might not like me then."

"Nonsense! Yer gorgeous no matter what, Kairi. Rolls of flesh or not." her sister insisted. "Now come on! Ice cream is Mother Nature's Zoloft!"

Kairi sighed, smiled tranquilly with a shake of her head, and followed Naminé inside. She thanked her for cheering her up as they took out the ice cream scoopers and the tub of chocolate goodness, and ate it straight from the container together.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Nami's the kind of sister I'd wanna have when I'm feeling this blue. 


	29. Ch 29: All Mixed Up

**Author's Notes:** Holy shit. I opened up my e-mail and noticed that I had NINETEEN reviews overnight, holy crap. (Even if it wasn't truly that many people...still...NINETEEN!)

So, here, I sort of...jumped us ahead...quite a bit. Yeah. About a week. Nobody minds, right? I mean we've gone 28 previous chapters with almost _no _development...so it was about time for a jump-start. Don't you agree?

In the meantime, I am now attempting to beat Kingdom Hearts II with a 100 in Proud Mode. No easy feat, I assure you. (It's gonna be a pain in the ass to collect all the treasures. There are some I can only get with Roxas!)

A certain reviewer named** killyjoy** requested that I at least insert Kadaj somehow.

I think it's only a fair present to my readers for 200+ reviews, yes?

* * *

Chapter 29

_"All Mixed Up"_

**One Week Later (Tuesday September Third)**

Ansem drummed his fingers impatiently on the arm of his hospital bed with a sharp scowl on his face, waiting for the ringing to stop and for someone to pick up. He'd dialed a close friend's home number, and if he wanted his plans to work, he would have to pick up _now_.

* * *

Kadaj Penna glanced irritably at the phone, then sighed and stood up from the kitchen table. He picked it up none too happily and spat into the phone, "Yes, this is the Penna Residence, what do you want?"

"Kadaj, is that you? Put your brother on the phone."

Kadaj smirked. "Which one?" he asked smartly, looking sideways at Yazoo, who could just as well have been his twin, save the longer hair.

"Your older one, you little twit! Get him on the phone _now_."

Kadaj examined the dirt under his nails, which was a slight more interesting than the man on the phone. He knew exactly who it was—Ansem Atercor, the man his older brother helped to live a secret life. Only because his older brother happened to have a secret life, too. Two peas in a pod, as they always say.

"Kadaj!" snapped Ansem.

"I'm sorry. He's not home at the moment. He's on a rendez-vous with his little toy." Kadaj grinned. "But may I take a message?"

"Don't get coy with me. Put him on!"

"I told you, he's not home."

"That's the answer I get every time I call!" Ansem snarled. "Surely he's not out _every_ day _fucking_ that blond bombshell of his!"

"And on the days when I lie, it's because he doesn't want to be bothered." Kadaj leaned against the kitchen counter, he and Yazoo exchanging mischeivous grins. Actually, on the days when he lied, they were too caught up in their _own_ secret lives to give a damn what Ansem wanted. This generation of the Penna family was, to the dismay of rightful society, addicted to the sinful and morally wrong. All three brothers lived it down in some way or another. Kadaj and Yazoo did so by sharing the same bed. In more ways than one.

"You snivelling little...!"

"What do you want, Ansem?" asked Kadaj calmly. "Leave me a message, and I'll be sure my _brother_ gets it."

"I want money," Ansem hissed, his voice low. "Money and a backup. I want a good lawyer for when I find that little bastard that put me in the hospital."

Kadaj was surprised. "My dear Ansem, are you _that_ desperate to bring back and ruin the life of your little escapee?" He smiled wickedly. "Or are you _afraid_ because he's the _only_ one who has independently left your house—escaped of his own _will?_"

"Don't you _dare_ talk like that to me, you childish brat!" screamed Ansem. Kadaj's smile widened.

"My brother will get your message as soon as he gets home."

He hung up with Ansem shrieking obscenities at him on the other end of the line.

* * *

Sora stared at the Pacman screen, vigorously playing the arcade game to try and clear his head.

He was having issues.

Very _disturbing_ issues.

Since kids who hadn't been kidnapped were off at school, it was just Sora, Riku, Seifer and his two buddies, and Cloud—and someone else, whom Cloud had warned Sora to stay clean out of sight from, which was why he was in the basement in the first place. When he asked why, Cloud's response was, "He has connections, and as much as I love him, even _I_ don't trust him to keep you two secret." Sora left it there.

But the bigger problem that was bugging him was the slow but surely building thoughts in his mind. Bearing in mind, of course, that he was taken and had a girlfriend, Sora's mood today was thoroughly soured whenever he caught himself staring at Riku...and _thinking_ things.

It hadn't been so bad. Hell, Sora had noticed from the day he'd seen Riku at the pool that he was no doubt a drop-dead, pant-worthy _stud,_ as girls would say. And sure, back then, he'd be ready to admit to himself that Riku was sexy—Tidus and Roxas weren't half-bad looking, either. (That aside in his mind made his fingers twitch.) However, as sexy as Riku was, he'd been a _jerk_. So for the most part, Sora ignored him.

But now; _now_ was different. Now Sora caught himself watching Riku play DDR for hours at a time, far too fixated on the movements of his hips and arms, hypnotized by his stare, and getting more flustered than he should have at that sly little dastardly grin of his. He caught himself staring at Riku as he would walk across their shared room half-naked with a towel around his waist, drooling all over him with his eyes, and turning an impossible shade of red when Riku would just say to him (as became usual now every time this happened), "Country Boy likes?"

It bugged the living _hell_ out of him. Sora grit his teeth and ate up every ghost that dared get in his path, consuming Pacman pellets like a Greek Fury, except he was a guy.

At first he tried to get rid of it by thinking about Kairi. Something. Anything Kairi-related. Walking with her on the beach, hugging her, kissing her, sex—_unspeakable things _during sex of which he would _never_ mention to _anyone_**_living_** unless he was _dying_ of multiple diseases—things that left him even more frustrated and tense than he already was with the problem at hand. Because no matter what he did, no matter what he thought, or what he dreamed up, whatever fantasies he could churn in his head, _a boy __**always** leaked in._

Naturally, this happened most often with thoughts of Riku, which was why at the moment, staring at Riku annoyed Sora the most. But he scared himself when he thought of others—Tidus, Roxas, even _Hayner_. The closest Sora had ever gotten to purging his mind of these alien ideas was a threesome with him, Kairi, and Riku. It hadn't even come close. Sadly, Kairi was not the _only_ one being fucked.

A primal growl escaped his throat as he mashed buttons and shoved the joystick this way and that, gluttonizing his way to the next level. For God's sake, he was straight! He loved Kairi—only Kairi. No matter how attractive Riku was.

Or Tidus.

Or Roxas...

...Or Hayner...

**_FUCK!_**

Sora slammed his hands onto the screen and bent over with an angry roar rising up in his throat...and then dying into a pitiful, frustrated wail. This was pissing him off! It was like all of a sudden, out of the blue—like they'd been _suppressed_, or something—these thoughts just decided to rain on his parade and make his life worse. And the more he tried to get rid of it, the more they persisted.

Riku was sitting in a bean-bag chair, flipping channels on the smaller TV in the basement. "Having an identity crisis over there?"

"Quiet!" Sora snapped, pointing an accusing finger. "_You_ did this to me!"

"So you'd like to think." Riku skipped over the _E!_ channel and went on to TNT. Sora overdramatically fell out of his chair and crumpled to the floor, groaning and making fake sobbing sounds in his confusion. Riku took the liberty to peer over his shoulder, and he just grinned, amused at the brunet's comical antics.

"I hate you!" Sora whined. "I hate you and your stupid show-off dancing, and your freakishly hot body, and your white albino hair, and your God damn girly glittering eyes!" He'd meant for it to come out as an insult.

Riku snorted and burst out laughing. Sora shot up from where he sat, his face burning red.

"_It's not funny!_" But Riku kept laughing, and Sora just got redder and redder. Whether out of anger or embarrassment, he didn't know. It was likely a little of both.

"Aaaaahhh!" Riku sighed loudly, shaking his head, clapping his hands. "That was _great_. What a pick-up."

"I'm not entertainment, you know!" Sora snarled. Riku grinned at him, waving a maestro-like hand at him.

"Really? I beg to differ! Dance, monkey, dance—_dance for my amusement!_"

"RAWRRR!" Sora charged across the room and tried to tackle Riku in the bean-bag chair. Riku graciously dodged out of the way and gave Sora a hard slap on his back, making him fumble forward with a _thump_. There was an incredibly wide grin on his face.

"You're so cute when you're mad," he teased. Sora whirled around and shook a finger at him, mouth wide open to talk, his face brick-red. But he ended up stuttering over his response, for he had no proper way to snap back without sounding stupid. Riku smirked at him.

"Catching flies with that mouth?"

"You're—such—an _asshole!_" Sora finally spat.

Riku shrugged. "I do try my best."

Sora growled, scuffling his feet as he went back to his Pacman game and ate ghosts more furiously than before. Riku just smiled and left him alone.

Sora's frustrations still weren't quelled by late evening. The whole house helped themselves to leftovers, since Cloud was busy with his guest upstairs, ("Busy like a bee," Riku commented once, which left Sora blushing, because he actually _got it_) so he never beat the rush for decent food and got stuck with cold pizza. Then they all just _had_ to beg Riku to versus someone in DDR again, so Sora left the room in order to avoid eye-drooling again. Despite his intentions for this to make his mood better, it only made it _worse!_ By the time Sora was brushing his teeth and wearing a pair of borrowed red-and-white pajamas, he officially had a Humbug up his ass. He gave up trying to look on the bright side of things, and just scowled on the bed with his arms crossed, upset with himself.

* * *

Riku came downstairs and went into the bedroom, closing the door, and he tossed a big fat roll of something at Sora. The brunet barely caught it, and blinked.

"The hell is this?"

"A sleeping bag. I thought you might want one."

Sora stammered over his response as Riku cooly crossed the room, heading for the bathroom.

"Because I figure, while you're straightening out your mixed-up signals, you won't want to share the bed with me." Sora opened his mouth to say something, and it died in his throat. Riku turned and smiled coyly at him. "Unless you _do_ want to share...?"

"I—!"

Riku laughed. "Your face is so red; it's _really_ amusing."

His answer was a death-causing glare and a rapid unrolling of the sleeping bag, and slapping it down on the floor, taking a pillow. Riku just smirked to himself and went into the bathroom to get showered—he was sweaty after so much DDR.

_Floor it is, then. _He thought, _Doubtful it'll stay that way for long._ Riku stripped naked and turned on the water, cranking it to hot. He caught his reflection in the mirror, and stared at it, eyes skimming his own body—covered in damage and scars, some of them not fully healed. He sighed and shook his head, stepping into the shower.

_Don't kid yourself. Scars are scars for a reason. They'll never go away._ As he wet his hair under the water spray, Riku couldn't help thinking: _Must be nice for Sora to have a body free of hurt._


	30. Ch 30: Tension and Lies

**Author's Notes: **Wow, Thanks again for the reviews! I woke up this morning and found a nice hefty chunk of praise for me to read. What a nice present on the LAST FREAKING DAY OF SCHOOL! (Everyone feel free to cheer now...)

Sadly I only have tomorrow left until I go to Cancun on the 16th. However, the resort we're staying at has net connection. The only problem is two things:

**1) I'm worried about my computer.** I wouldn't want it to get stolen, but I'm taking it anyway - I'm going to keep the hard drive under lock and key in me and my friends' room safe whenever we go out on a day trip. That way, they can take the computer, but they won't have jack-shit - and the key will ALWAYS be with ME. The hard drive is the most important part of your computer because it has everything that IS your computer. If you didn't know this before, know it now. So that you can be sure you still have your data if your computer is stolen.

Computers can be replaced. Data on your hard drive cannot.

**2) I'm worried about this story.** If my computer _does _get stolen, or if my hard drive happens to be stolen out of the safe (God forbid) I will have lost all information on this story and all means to post it. So at the very least, just in case all my firewalls are breached (ha ha, laugh at my nerdy joke), I'm going to put the story on one of my old USB keys and always have THAT with me, too.

By the way; **killyjoy: **The three "Brothers" in Advent Children are Kadaj, Yazoo, and _Loz_. You got Loz confused with _Zack_, who is the only ever SOLDIER to make it into First Class with the same weapon as Cloud (Buster Sword). In fact, he and Cloud are the only two SOLDIERs who can even handle the weight of the Buster Sword. He held Seph in high respects and was a friend of Cloud. You see him in _Final Fantasy VII: Last Order, _which takes place before the game, unlike Advent Children. (And it's anime! ANIME!)

Anyway. Rant over. Oh, wait - someone asked what music I listen to. I believe it was **Hydra390**...? You'll see the complete soundtrack for this story at the bottom. That should answer questions as to what music I listen to while I'm _working_. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 30

_"Tension and Lies"_

**That Same Day**

Seifer stared at Cloud's bedroom door as he passed it, Fuujin at his side.

"Quiet," she murmured to him.

"Guess they finally got spent."

Fuujin hummed. "Good lovers."

Seifer glanced sideways at her. "You could hear them halfway down the hall."

"Not them," Fuujin shook her head, "Cloud."

Seifer grunted and wrapped an arm around Fuujin's waist. "Come on, before he hears us talking. Don't wanna get snapped at."

"RAWR!"

Fuujin blinked and stared down the stairs. Seifer sighed.

"Don't tell me _they're_ at it, too."

Fuujin just looked at Seifer—"Oh, _please,_" her expression seemed to say—and shook her head "no".

"Sure as hell hope not. They'll do a double-suicide trying to find privacy."

* * *

Hours later, Cloud woke up to the incessant knocking on his door and numerous shouts of children. He blinked groggily from lying on top of his lover's (very solid, built, and sexy) body, and bore holes into the woodwork with his glare. _Oh, great. They're home. _Not that he didn't love them to death (all twenty of them), but he'd been having a very nice nap, and he didn't particularly feel like leaving this spot.

"Don't answer it," Sephiroth grumbled, wrapping his arm tighter around Cloud. The blond groaned and let his head drop, nuzzling the older man's neck.

"I don't think I have a choice..."

"Christ." Sephiroth rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine, go." He flung his arm off to the side. Cloud frowned at him, and then the knocking interrupted his attempts to soothe the rumbling storm.

"Clooouuuud! It's six forty-five. We're _huuungry._"

"What the hell are you bugging him for?" snapped a voice outside. "_Zidane! _No, come here! Come _here_. What have I told you about bugging Cloud while he's sleeping? Get downstairs!"

Cloud smiled. _Thank God for Seifer. _He purred and snuggled against Sephiroth again.

"Never mind." he murmured, listening to Zidane's moans before Seifer forced him and any others outside downstairs for leftovers. Seifer was the only one out of the twenty who even knew that Sephiroth was his boss. Primarily because he had been the first one Cloud adopted with the money he'd earned. He also (thankfully) respected Cloud's sexuality, as well as his little May-December romance.

"The little monsters, trying to steal you away from me."

"Mmmm." purred Cloud, rolling off when Sephiroth turned on his side to spoon him. He got a kiss on the neck.

"You're _mine._"

"Mmm-hmm," was the blond's sleepy reply as he soaked up the attention. Sephiroth peppered kisses along his neck and nipped his ear once. Cloud sighed pleasantly and arched a little under the covers, his legs shifting when Sephiroth started to tangle their lower bodies. In a good way, of course.

"Speaking of little monsters..." Sephiroth peered down at his lover. "You said you adopted two more...? Can you even _hold_ them?"

Cloud winced. "Sadly...I don't think they'll stay for very long..."

"Aah. Finally starting to burn a hole in your pocket."

"It's not that...it's just..." Hmm. How to cover this up.

Sephiroth squeezed his waist. "Just...?"

"...Well..." Cloud sighed. "Erm...they're very young. They require a lot of attention...and it's not attention that _I _can really give them."

"I see." Sephiroth kissed Cloud's neck again. "Well, I've seen all the other little devils; when do I get to see these two?"

"They're in the basement sleeping," Cloud said. "Why do you want to meet them so badly? You've never been this interested in the children before."

Sephiroth shrugged. "Oh, you know, it's just that news flash..."

Cloud pretended that he _didn't_ feel like he'd just broken out into a cold sweat. "What," he laughed, "You think I'd shelter a couple of _runaways?_"

"Zinny was a runaway—"

"_Zidane._"

"Whatever. Point is, the only difference is that nobody came looking for him."

"Well, I don't know _where_ you got the idea that I would go looking for the two boys on the news." Cloud grumbled, keeping his eyes facing forward. And he had to say, so far, his lie sounded pretty believable. _Pretty_ believable, mind.

Sephiroth squeezed him. "I would hope not. It would be a shame if you were to shelter two rats like them..."

Cloud had to glare at him for that. "I'll tell you one thing—they're not rats. You heard what the news said about that man, and even afterwards, while the police are still searching for him, they're saying things. That boy, Riku, his mother just got done with a court case. As soon as Riku's found and Ansem's out of the hospital, she's sueing him for sexual abuse on her son."

Sephiroth snorted. "I watched that piece of crap. That bitch isn't even his mother anymore. The boy was disowned when he was thirteen."

"_After_ his parents got divorced!" Cloud argued. "You don't even know if it was the mother that disowned him." (_Poor Riku,_ thought Cloud, _Not only has he had a rough road thus far, but now the news channel is boosting their ratings by sharing his __**life story.**_)

"Mother, father, brother, uncle, the point is that he was disowned. When your branch is clipped off the tree, it's over and you hit the ground."

"But you still came from the same tree," Cloud groaned. Why did Sephiroth always have to argue these things? "A broken branch on the ground doesn't mean it sprouted out of the grass."

Sephiroth leered at Cloud in such a way that it even threatened to make _him,_ Cloud, the most hard-headed person he knew, shrink under it. He darted his gaze away and squirmed.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Sephiroth just grunted, and mumbled something incoherent before letting his head rest against the pillow. Cloud shifted. Wow, what a mood killer.

"...Let's change the subject," he suggested.

"I'm tired."

_Cloud viciously kicked himself mentally in the head for getting Sephiroth upset, and sighed, snuggling rather lifelessly against him. Note to self: Never argue with Sephiroth after mind-blowing sex. Ever._

_

* * *

_

_  
_**Author's Notes:** The soundtrack I listen to while working:

"Disc 1"

01. _Break Me, Shake Me_ by _Savage Garden _(Main Theme)

02. _Haunted _by _Evanescence_

03. _Man in the Box _by _Alice in Chains _(Riku's Theme)

04. _The Unforgiven _by _Metallica_

05. _She's A Rebel _by _Green Day _(Sora's Theme)

06. _Basket Case _by _Green Day_

07. _Fight for All the Wrong Reasons _by _Nickelback_

08. _Malchick Gay _by _t.A.T.u._

09. _Chica Cherry Cola _by _Savage Garden_

10. _Santa Monica _by _Savage Garden _(Cloud and Leon's Theme)

"Disc 2"

11. _Heal Over_ by _KT Tunstall _(Intermission)

12. _Breaking the Habit _by _Linkin Park_

13. _Whatsername _by _Green Day_

14. _Gomenasai _by _t.A.T.u._

15. _We Die Young _by _Alice in Chains_

16. _Crash and Burn _by _Savage Garden _(Riku and Sora's Theme)

17. _Not Gonna Get Us _by _t.A.T.u._

18. _The Unforgiven II _by _Metallica_

19. _Through the Dark_ by _KT Tunstall _(Epilogue)

20. _We're All Mad _by _Natasha Bedingfield _(Ending Theme)

That's all. There's thousands of other people I listen to, but the list goes on forever. So this "Soundtrack" is just a sampling of what I like.


	31. Ch 31: Pressure Maneuvers

**Author's Notes:** AWRIGHT! IT UPLOADED! I had _issues _with this bitch last night and finally got it working at six in the morning. My last push for a positive update before Cancun!

All right. First things first - I _will _have internet connection in Cancun. This is an international resort I'm staying at so they have net cafes and wi-fi and such. BUT there will be lots of day trips/nights out/etc., so even if I DO get online, I probably won't update very often. So you guys will essentially be seeing a hiatus from me. Sorry!

This chapter introduces something new. A countdown.

And the days are correct - counting the date that's underlined and Friday when Riku ran away, it's been that many days.

Ah...to whomever wanted Zack...(Killyjoy again, right?)...I ran out of characters for a small part, so... :)

* * *

Chapter 31

_"Pressure Maneuvers"_

**Wednesday, September Fourth**

**Thirteen Days Missing**

Leon sighed and ran his fingers through his damp brown hair. He'd just stepped out of the shower, and he was taking the day off. He watched the news constantly these days for any news on Riku and Sora, but so far found nothing. The police reported that they had a lead on either Burmecia or Esthar, since Ansem's car had been found on a major highway leading to the two metropolitan cities, but that nobody had stopped long enough to report if someone had picked them up. Someone had seen them go with somebody into another car, but it was a useless tip; the eyewitness couldn't even recall so much as the driver's face, or a license plate. By now, Leon was more worried than he would think himself to be. Maybe it was just because he'd now gotten a call from Riku's _mother,_ the same woman who had demanded Riku's new school and address.

"I saw Riku on the news!" she cried last week over the phone. "Why is my boy on the news, and why is there a classmate with him? Are they going to find my Riku?"

"Ma'am," Leon had said calmly, "I'm not sure what's happened, but I can only assume that Riku took his classmate and fled when Ansem tried to harm them."

"That bastard!" she'd hissed. "I'm sueing his ass the moment Riku's found!"

Leon clearly remembered choking on his can of soda. "Er..." he sputtered, "Ma'am...?"

"Mister—ugh. Leon, isn't it?"

"Yes..."

"Don't patronize me. I know my idiot ex disowned him, but Riku is still my boy! I'm just sorry I never got custody over him seven years ago. I should have fought harder. I'm going to make this hold up in court...you'll see! Please, if anything new happens, let me know. I'm a bit tied up with some legal issues already."

Leon had frowned then. "Miss Lockheart, I—"

"You'll want to reach me on my cell phone number. It's 571..." Leon had snatched up a pad and paper and quickly began scrawling, "...-225-6838. Thanks so much, Mister Leon."

And then she'd hung up without so much as another word. Leon had blinked and stared at the phone dubiously, then glanced at the chicken-scratched cell number. She always seemed to be in such a hurry.

Now, at two forty-five in the afternoon, Leon was stressed, annoyed, a little high-strung, and getting a headache that even Aspirin wouldn't cure. So he tried to get rid of some of the anxious build-up by talking to Riddlez. (Riddlez had recently become his overall therapist, he noticed.)

**GrieversKeepers: **yt?

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **as here as I can be. My boyfriend just left.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **Find anything new on the kids yet?

**GrieversKeepers: **No...news says they're in Burm. or Esthar but no solid leads.

There was a long pause there. A very unnaturally long pause, considering Riddlez. In fact, Leon stared at the chat window for eight minutes before he finally typed out:

**GrieversKeepers: **You alive over there?

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **...actually...

Leon frowned.

**GrieversKeepers: **What?

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **...You're Riku's foster agent...right?

**GrieversKeepers: **yes...

**GrieversKeepers: **Why?

Another long pause, but this one was shorter. Just four minutes. Leon reached for his Mountain Dew and began to take a long sip when Riddlez finally replied.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **they're here.

He had a repeat of the incident with Riku's mother, and clapped his hand over his mouth and nose, coughing as he slammed the can back down, staring at the screen. When he'd wiped up what had dribbled out of his nose (God, that felt weird) and swallowed, he answered:

**GrieversKeepers: ****_WHAT?_**

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **both of them are here. I'm sorry I didn't tell you.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **Riku pressured me to keep quiet.

**GrieversKeepers: **You LISTENED to him?

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **he just doesn't seem ready to go back.

**GrieversKeepers: **for God's sake, the cops are ALL OVER the place LOOKING for him. Just turn him in now, before they charge you of anything!

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **I doubt anything they charge me with will hold up. Besides, I can always make it look like I just recently found them.

Leon winced and sighed, shaking his head as he hid it behind his palm. _Riddlez, you idiot! Don't be a bleeding heart! This is such a stupid, dangerous thing you're doing, you son of a bitch..._

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **don't worry, I'm taking good care of them.

Two seconds later:

**GrieversKeepers: **Fine, I'm coming to pick them up.

He could just picture Riddlez freezing behind his computer screen.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **What? Why?

**GrieversKeepers: **If you won't turn them in, I will.

**GrieversKeepers: **Not only is it time Riku come back, but I imagine that Sora's family is getting extremely worried.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **Wait...

**GrieversKeepers: **Give me your address, and I'll leave as soon as I've talked with my boss.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **I dont have to share that with you!

**GrieversKeepers: **I'm prying it out of you whether you want it or not. Please give me your address, Riddlez.

**GrieversKeepers: **I hate to do this, but I'm not giving you the option.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **you can't force me to do anything!

**GrieversKeepers: **i have a friend who's a hacker. you'd be surprised what he can do with just a screen name and a direct connection.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **youre fucking kidding me!

**GrieversKeepers: **give me the address.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **i cant believe youre doing this.

**GrieversKeepers: **and I cant believe you hid them from me. Do you know how worried **I** got? Please, Riddlez.

Leon's answer was another long wait for a reply, and after ten minutes ticked down on the clock, he finally heard a new-message ping.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **323 Sally Doll Avenue...in Burmecia. Eidolon district.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **i swear to God, if you make this harder for me than it already will be, I'm going to rip you in two.

Leon shook his head.

**GrieversKeepers: **don't be such a drama queen. Thank you for the address.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **you wont be so quick to judge when you see who I am.

**_RiddlezindaMiddlez _has signed off.**

The foster agent blinked at the computer screen, and his brow crinkled in confusion. _Wow, he's moody today. I wonder what_ that _was all about._

He had to say, though, he'd cooked up a damn good lie there for a moment. Telling Riddlez he had a hacker friend had worked. He hadn't even expected him to fall for it. For one, Leon had almost no friends at all, let alone a hacker; and that was one of the oldest ploys ever. "I have this friend who...". He shook his head. _Riddlez, you're so gullible._

Sighing, Leon picked up the phone and dialed his boss. It didn't take very long for him to pick up. On the other end of the line, the ever-upbeat, happy-go-lucky Zack Whitters answered the phone.

"Heyyy! Leon! What's up!"

"Not much," Leon replied. "Zack, when do you think I could take my vacation? I'm planning on visiting family in Burmecia soon."

"Aahh...let's see..." Zack paused. "Well, what's your schedule look like?"

Leon pulled up the file on his computer that listed all his appointments and checked how accurate it was with his clipboard. "I'm full for the next five days, unfortunately. But if you don't have anything else for me to do after that..."

"No problem! You earned it, man. Take five and have fun. Five days!"

Leon nodded. "Right. In five days. Thanks, Zack."

"Don't sweat it. Later!" And then Leon hung up the phone.

_Five days...I'll let Riddlez know that's how long he has until I leave. _He frowned. _That is, if I ever see him on again..._

The brunet crinkled his brow, confused. Why did that seem like such a death sentence?

* * *

"Come on." 

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"You won't regret it, I promise."

"Nooo..."

"It's really fun!"

"Nooo...!"

"But you like watching _me_..."

"That's because you're _good_ at it!"

"Please, Sora?" Riku nudged his shoulder. "Just _one_ dance. Come on, don't you DDR?"

Sora was crossing his arms and pouting on the couch. "I do _not_ DDR."

"Loser!" Riku stuck his tongue out. Sora looked away from him. He frowned and squeezed the boy around the waist, making Sora gasp.

"Hey, WHAT—"

"Come ooooonnnn. Nobody's home and I'm _bored_ to _tears._"

"Get off my waist!"

Riku grinned. "Will you DDR?" Sora glared at him now, burning red in the face, and tried to pry him off with no avail.

"Rikuuu—ugh! Get off! Come on...!" Sora pouted, practically scratching at him. "This isn't fair!"

Riku snickered and kept his grip tight. "Oh, please, like you're not enjoying this."

Sora shot a wide-eyed look of bewilderment his way, and Riku just smiled at him and squeezed. "One dance!"

"NO!"

"I'll raise it to two."

Sora hissed. "Nooo!"

"Going on three!"

The brunet stuttered and glared, pounding at Riku's chest. "Get. Off. My. WAIST!"

"Four dances." Riku cocked an eyebrow. Sora hissed at him again.

"One!" he snapped.

"Three," Riku answered.

"ONE."

"Two."

"I said ONE!"

"Well I ain't goin' any lower..."

Sora froze up, mouth gaping open, and Riku just smirked at him and waited until the brunet sulked. "Fine, two dances. _Just two!_"

Riku smiled. "You're weak. I would've bailed out if you'd persisted."

Sora rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure you would have."

"No, really, I would've bailed and you'd've gotten out with no dancing at all."

Sora sighed and crossed his arms, leaning back on the couch. "Whatever. Remember, just two!" Riku just nodded his head and hummed, and then he stared at Sora for several moments. The brunet paused and turned, staring back, frowning.

"What?"

Riku's eyes shimmered under his silvery bangs. "Aren't you gonna bitch at me to let go?"

Sora let that process through his brain for a moment before he turned a bright shade of red again and shoved Riku's arms off, with the silver-haired teen snickering at him all the while. Sora quickly got up and rushed over to the video game system, helping to set up DDR, just to forget that had ever happened.

"You're so adorable, you're almost a _girl_."

"Yeah, well, I'm not." Sora growled, patting his chest as he leered at Riku. "I'm one-hundred percent guy!"

Riku shot a daring, wicked grin at him, eyes flaring up with a sudden spark of...something. Excitement?

"Yeah? Wanna prove it?"

"Absolutely! I'll kick your ass!" Sora was fired up now as the game started, and he got up onto one of the hard plastic platforms. "Let's dance, loser!"

Riku just chuckled and got up onto his platform. "Name the song and speed, metro."

Sora didn't understand what that meant, but he just shrugged it off and shuffled through the songs until he found one he liked—kinda techno, a little upbeat—and set it for medium. Riku just got into a ready position as the song started and watched his half of the screen, while Sora kept an eye on his.

The moment the arrows started flying up, Sora was a little lost and had to fight just to keep up. Riku, however, flowed through them like water in a river. Every move he did was languid and expressive and he was landing all Perfects or Goods. He won the first dance with no questions asked. Taking slow, but slightly heavy breaths, Riku flashed a smirk.

"So, Country Boy, who's the loser _now?_"

"I-I was doing good until you started—"

"Until _I_ started? You're watching me while we're dancing, aren't you."

Sora blushed again. "I-I was not!" he cried. "...Was I?"

Riku laughed. "Why do you sound so unsure of yourself? Did you or didn't you?" He smiled. "It's not like I'm going to gouge your eyes out..."

Sora pouted at him, and looked away, embarrassed. "Fine. Maybe I looked a _little_. But it's only because you're so good at this!"

"Riiight." (_You keep thinking that, _Riku said to himself. _That's just too cute. Cuter than Tidus, even..._)

"I'm serious! One more. Then we stop."

"You mean then _you_ stop." Riku corrected. "I fucking love this game. I'm gonna keep playing it." Sora rolled his eyes.

"Fine, you do that. No skin off _my_ nose."

* * *

Riku just smiled at him. _Keep lovin' the shows, Country Boy,_ he thought. _You can't stay in that closet of yours forever._

Of course he knew what Sora was going through. And, admittedly, he was enjoying how fun it was trying to pry this kid out of his shell. He wondered what Sora would be like after he cracked it and got to the meaty little insides. What Sora's emotions would be. At the moment, it was all Riku could really think about...

* * *

**Author's Notes:** And if you're _really _that desperate to keep up with what's happening, you can see me over at my LiveJournal. I'll update it every other day _at least_. 

P.S. - Riku means "metro" as in _metrosexual_, which is essentially a gay man in the closet.


	32. Ch 32: Message Received

**Author's Notes:** SUPER short chapter here - like, not even two full pages. (By the way, I totally didn't notice we cleared 300 reviews. Or I did but never said anything. grr. Thank you for your support, AS ALWAYS! I am SOOO happy!)

Now...these last few hours of the day...don't be surprised if you see any updates that are, at minimum, minutes apart in length. This is my splurge day, so I'm trying to update as many chapters as possible now before we leave at four in the morning tomorrow. Right.

So, anyway, enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 32

_"Message Received"_

Kadaj flipped through his novel in a lazy chair, reading by the sunlight that played over his silvery hair. His brother Yazoo passed by him, and snatched up one of the chocolate treats Kadaj was just about to get.

"Hey," he growled, "Give that back, it was mine!"

Yazoo grinned mirthfully and slid out his tongue, placing the treat on it and curling it back into his mouth. "Come get it, then."

Kadaj grinned at his brother's playfulness and marked his place, putting the book down on his chair and standing up. Yazoo started to walk away, and Kadaj reeled him back, kissing him deeply and using every skill with his tongue that he knew to chase down the little Hershey's Kiss Yazoo had stolen from his snack bowl. That was when the sound of a door being unlocked and opened occurred, but the two didn't pay attention to it. Nor the blinking surprise of their eldest when he came in, wincing, and shielded his eyes.

"Ugh, you two, when are you going to move out of my house and do that in your own apartment? Better yet—why don't you stop doing that long enough to get _jobs?_"

Kadaj snatched the Kiss then and swallowed it in one gulp, looking over Yazoo's shoulder as he stroked his hair.

"Awww, don't be upset, Sephy. It's not like we can make babies or anything."

Sephiroth just kept his hand up by his face, hiding the fact that he was rolling his eyes, and sighed, waving at them dismissively. "Please, just don't do anything on my chair." He didn't like what his two younger brothers were doing with their lives, but he couldn't very well stop them. That was like trying to stop a tsunami with a willow stick.

"We already did," Yazoo purred, smirking. "While you were out yesterday..."

"Auugh!" groaned Sephiroth. "Jesus fucking Christ, are you _insane?_ That thing cost me a Queen's ransom! You damn well better have cleaned up after yourselves!" He glared at them. "And don't let me ever catching you doing that on my chair, my bed, or my sofa—ever again!"

Kadaj and Yazoo both sneered at him. "Who says you ever caught us?" they chorused.

Which made Sephiroth pelt them with a bucket, sponge, soap and Swiffer from the closet. Yazoo fumbled with the bucket, which had the sponge and soap, while Kadaj rubbed his face, moaning when the Swiffer smacked him in the nose.

"Make yourselves useful. Kadaj, you swiffer the kitchen. Yazoo, go clean my car."

"Since when are we your slaves!" Kadaj snapped.

"Since you owe me hundreds of dollars in rent from centuries back. If you're not going to _pay_ it off, you're going to _work_ it off. Now hop to it."

"We're your brothers!" Yazoo whined.

"You're brothers who are jobless hobos in their mid-twenties. Now clean up what I told you to clean up. There's a list of other things you two slackers can do posted on the fridge."

Kadaj groaned. Yes, they'd both seen it, and they'd clearly thought wrong when they assumed their eldest was joking. The short-haired Penna brother blinked.

"Oh—right! You got a phone call the other day."

Sephiroth frowned. "Who from?"

"That Ansem guy you like so much." Kadaj shrugged and waved his hand. "Said something about a lawyer."

"Lawyer?" Sephiroth glanced at the phone.

"He called from the hospital." Yazoo reported. "I guess you can call him back there." He took the sponge out of the bucket, squeezed soap into it and ran hot water in the sink, filling it up and watching the suds get frothy and white. Kadaj just sighed and started swiffering the kitchen. Sephiroth watched them and crossed his arms.

"Well, at least you two are good for something." He walked out and retreated back into his room, picking up the phone beside his bed and dialing the local Alexandria hospital where he knew Ansem would be staying.

"Hello? This is the Blanca Crystal Hospital. How may I help you?"

"Yes, I'd like to page a call to the room of Ansem Atercor..."

"One moment, sir." The receptionist put Sephiroth on hold for a few moments, and he heard a flat tone, then someone picking up.

"What do you want?" growled a deep voice. Sephiroth smirked.

"It's been ages, Ansem."

"Ah! About damn time. Your smart-mouthed little brother hung up when I called."

"Don't mind Kadaj. He's a worthless little slacker." Sephiroth sat down on the edge of his bed. "So...my dear, old friend...what's this I hear about a lawyer?"

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Feel free to feel whatever you feel about Sephiroth now. 


	33. Ch 33: Just Falling Short

Chapter 33

_"Just Falling Short"_

**Thursday, September Fifth**

**Fourteen Days Missing**

Leon sipped from his Mountain Dew (he really should stop drinking these) as he leaned back in his computer chair.

"I'll be coming in about five days." he said.

Riddlez sighed in the Voice chat. "Do you really have to do this?"

"Unless you would rather turn them in yourself."

Silence.

"I thought as much," Leon grunted, drinking more of the soda-like drink. "What are you so worried about, anyway? I'm just coming to get them."

"...Nothing." Riddlez paused. "Grievers, I'm tired. I'm going to go sleep."

Leon checked the clock. "It's only eleven, Riddlez. Sun hasn't even hit noon yet."

"I'm tired." Riddlez repeated. "I'll talk to you later...see ya."

Leon heard the tell-tale sound of a phone hanging up, signaling the Voice had ended. He frowned and closed the chat window. _Riddlez...something's on your mind._ His brow creased deeply as he thought. _But why won't you tell me?_

And why did he suddenly want to know?

* * *

"I'll give you four 3-Musketeers if you gimme three of your Milky Ways." 

"Here's an idea—you give me all that chocolate you're _not_ going to eat, and I give my Milky Ways to Sora."

Sora looked up from the couch. "Say who what?" he jarbled, a clueless look on his face.

"Don't drag him into this!" Zidane shook his handful of 3-Musketeers. "Fine, just lemme have one, then."

"You gonna eat it all?" Riku kept his Milky Way bars out of reach, dangling them over Zidane's head with a hand on his hip. "Frankly, I don't think you are."

The sixteen-year-old blond hissed and swiped at the chocolate bars, but to no avail.

"Please!"

"You're such a pig. You'll get fat if you eat all that candy."

"Says the one who downed all the Twinkies and Ho-Hos in less than a week!"

Riku grinned. "Cloud said I could help myself, and I helped myself."

Sora raised his hand. "Actually, _I_ ate all the Ho-Hos. And some Fritos bags."

"_You're_ the ones who are pigs!" Zidane moaned.

Riku snorted. "Please, it's a house of twenty little monsters. First come, first serve. Besides, aren't you supposed to be at school?"

Zidane held a finger over his mouth. "Sshhh! I'm skipping. Don't tell anyone!"

"Oh, well, that's practically an _invitation!_"

"No, don't!" Zidane flailed his arms around and grabbed Riku's shoulders. "Don't tell, please! I hate the stupid test! I won't take it!"

Sora frowned. "Um, but, don't you need to take it to pass?"

Zidane glared at him. "Quiet, you!"

"I'll tell you what." Riku held out his hand. "Gimme all your candy and I'll keep your little escapade a secret."

"Riku!" Sora leered at him. Riku shrugged.

"What?"

"You wouldn't!" whined Zidane. The silver-haired teen just smiled at him.

"I can, and I will."

Zidane debated this for several seconds before he growled and shoved all his candy into Riku's hand. "Fine, take it! Just don't tell Seifer I'm in the basement!" And then he fled downstairs into the land of arcade games and bean bag chairs.

Satisfied, Riku took a seat on the couch beside Sora, who was immersed in a game of Wind Waker. He mashed the buttons furiously, tilting the controller left and right as he fought against an early boss after receiving the Grapple Hook from Medli.

"Here." Riku tossed a 3-Musketeer up in the air and it landed with a _plop_ on Sora's lap. The brunet paused the game and picked it up, glancing at Riku before tearing the wrapper open.

"Thanks." He bit into it and chewed. "Y'know, you're kind of mean to everyone..."

"Oh, whatever. He'll get caught anyway. School's gonna call Cloud and tell him the little bombshell skipped." Riku shrugged his shoulders and ate a Milky Way. "He's fucked no matter what he does, so who the hell cares?" Sora put the controller down after saving and stretched out on the couch, knees drawn up. The shirt he was wearing hiked up just enough to expose an inch-wide stripe of skin on his stomach.

Riku caught himself staring at it.

"That doesn't mean you have to bribe him."

Riku shook his head and "He started the bribing."

"...We really are gonna get fat, eating all this."

Riku glanced at Sora's stomach again—which wasn't pudgy at all, but it was still nice to look at—and he grinned. "_We're_ getting fat? Excuse me, but _I_ work off all the pounds—_you're_ the one who's going to get fat. Look at that." He poked Sora just above his belly button. Sora yelped and yanked his shirt down.

"The hell's your problem! Stop invading my personal space!" He waved his arms around him as if forming a bubble. "Shield! There's a shield here! It has a two-foot radius!"

Riku laughed and lay back on the couch, setting his bare feet on Sora's stomach. Sora glared at him.

"What the fuck are you doing, get off!"

"You said it has a two-foot radius."

"You _idiot!_" Sora shoved Riku's feet off the couch, and the teenager just laughed. Sora growled at him. "I don't want your stinky feet on my stomach! Gross!"

Riku frowned. "My feet aren't stinky," he argued.

"_All_ feet are stinky. Feet are not meant for touching, they are meant for walking!"

"My feet are not stinky!" Riku lifted up one foot. "Here, I dare you to _smell_ it."

"EWWWW!" Sora shoved it back down. "No THANKS!"

"You're welcome," Riku snickered, "But it smells really _fruity!_"

Sora huffed. "You mean like the rest of you?"

Riku burst into laughter again. "Oh, ouch!" He tapped his chin in thought. "But how would _you_ know that the rest of me smells fruity?"

"Because you're a fruit!"

"No," Riku corrected, holding up a pointer finger. "A fruit is someone like Mister Pink who flaunts his Flames of Gay like a Miss America crown. I am not a fruit. I am the _seed_ to the fruit."

Sora had snickered at Riku's comment to Marluxia, but he was still lost. "What? How does that make sense?"

Riku grinned. "I give my _seed_ to my partner who's the _fruit!_"

"What?"

"Just think about it for a minute."

Sora did. And after three minutes of looking lost as could be, his eyes widened and he grimaced, clamping his hands over his mouth.

"OHHHHH, GROOOOSS!" He reached over to slap the cackling Riku, who dodged it. "You big _pervert!_ That's disgusting!"

"But it's true!"

Sora hissed, shaking the images out of his head (oh no! They've returned!) and bit his 3-Musketeer again. The two of them fell silent suddenly, and all they could hear was the toned-down battle music in the background. The brunet chewed on his chocolatey snack for a while before glancing sideways at Riku. Riku cocked his head.

"Yes?"

"...What's it like...? Being gay."

Riku blinked. "You make it sound like it's a crime or something."

"O-Oh, no no!" Sora shook his head. "God, no. I'm sixteen...I don't really care...it's just..."

"Oh, you so _do_ care, or else you wouldn't ask." Riku nudged him. "Right?"

Sora flitted his eyes between Riku and his lap, then stared at his lap and blushed.

Riku drew back and swallowed a bite of Milky Way. "Listen. Sora. If you don't care, and you don't see anything wrong with it, then why are you so adverse to just giving it a shot? Because it's clearly bothering you. You are a _classic_ case of metrosexuality."

"I have a girlfriend!" Sora blurted. "I don't want to tell her when I see her again that I'm _gay!_ That would be horrible! I'd be such a jerk...!"

"Maybe you're _not_ gay," Riku said calmly, biting his treat again. "Maybe you're bi."

"That's even worse!" Sora whined and finished off his candy bar. "Why do you have to make me think about these things? I don't want to mess with this right now..."

Riku glanced sideways at him with a "give me a break!" kind of look. "Excuse me. Did _I_ start this conversation? No."

Sora turned even redder at Riku's truthful point, wincing.

"Yeah...but..."

Riku swallowed what he'd chewed and crumpled up the wrapper, having eaten all of his candy bar, and grabbed another one.

"Listen..." he peeled the wrapper of another Milky Way open, "...If you're going to let this sit and stew, it's just going to hit you in the face. Would you rather find out by choice, or would you rather get drunk and wake up in bed with some random guy and find out you banged him?"

Sora stared at Riku in bewilderment. "Rikuuu!"

"I'm just saying." Riku shrugged his shoulders. "There's no two ways about it, so stop dodging around the bush and hop in. What's the worst that could happen when you're figuring yourself out, you know?"

Sora paused for a moment, and continued to just stare at Riku. Riku cocked an eyebrow.

"What are you giving me that look for? I provoked my dad _on purpose_ with my coming out, so don't think of smashing me with your petty little examples."

"N-No no no! Not that!" Sora shook his hands back and forth defensively, shaking his head. "N-Nothing. Let's...um...let's change the subject!"

* * *

Riku frowned and narrowed his eyes at the brunet, trying to pick him apart. Maybe it was just him, but Sora was making himself out to be an oxymoron. He seemed scared to try and acknowledge whatever was going on with him, but he still asked questions about it like he was planning to. Riku was just having a hard time figuring that out. 

_I __**really** don't like hypocrits, _he thought, growling aloud—a gentle rumble in the back of his throat. He put both hands down on the couch and crawled forward, leaning right up into Sora's face until they were inches apart. Sora coiled back until he was flat against the throw pillows.

"E-Er...R-R-Riku?" His cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. _He blushes way too much, _Riku noted. _Jeez. It's so cute it almost makes your teeth rot._ He said nothing, but out loud, he scoffed. _Sora...you're such a girl at these things._

"...Sh-Shield." Sora held up his hands in front of his face and Riku sat up, leaving him alone.

"Whatever. You hide behind your little 'shield'." Riku thought for a moment, eyes turning off to the side somewhere. Then he sighed and gave Sora his uneaten, but unwrapped, candy bar.

"I'm bored. I'm going downstairs."

* * *

Sora, at a loss what to do, simply caught the candy in his hands and watched Riku go with a confused look on his face. 

_He's still kinda weird...but at least he's not punching me or anything._ Sora crinkled his brow, mouth twitched up in an odd sort of shape in his puzzlement. He scratched the back of his head.

_Man, I just don't get him. What do I __**see** in that guy?_

_

* * *

_

**Author's Notes:** This chapter was another amusing one to write. I liked how their conversation turned out and the thoughts afterwards.

**EDIT: **By the way, if any of you readers are interested (and you should be) my LJ will update regularly. There is actually some news up there right now that you should see, so check it out - the link should be in my profile here on 


	34. Ch 34: Dreams, Wants, and Fears

** Author's Notes:** It appears I have yet a few more requests to try and get to. Hang in there you little duckies. We'll see what I can cook up as a present for ya.

* * *

  
Chapter 34

_"Dreams, Wants, and Fears"_

Leon was on again late that evening after a long meet with one of the foster couples. He saw that Riddlez was on, and he went straight for the Voice—but he stopped to think for a minute.

_...Suddenly, it's almost like all I ever do is try to see if Riddlez is on._ He frowned. Then he blinked, shaking away the image that occurred. _Gah! Pull it together, Leon._ Without another pause, he clicked it. He was lucky that Riddlez accepted.

"Why did you voice me? I'm tired."

Leon fell silent again.

"...Why are you so opposed to talking to me all of a sudden?"

"I just don't trust people well." Riddlez said. "With well enough reason."

Leon chuckled dryly. "What are you hiding? Just tell me."

"Damn it! Stop reading my mind! Seriously, you keep freaking me out with that."

"Please. Do you know how many people have done that to me?" Leon crossed his arms. "Come on, I'm..." he paused. "...I'm a friend."

"You'll know when you see me." was all Riddlez said. "Don't prod me for this, G, please. I barely kept any of my other friends as it stands now. I have no social life."

"Well, neither do I," snorted Leon. "You're acting like a little kid..."

"I know that!" snapped the voice. "...I know that. But just leave the subject alone and I'll stop. If you're going to chat, let's talk about something else, okay?"

The brunet shook his head. After a moment, he just sighed.

"Whatever makes you happy."

* * *

Naminé stirred when she felt the weight of the bed shift several times. She sighed and rolled over, nudging Kairi.

"Go t'bed..." she moaned.

"I'm trying." Kairi hugged one of Sora's pillows. Since there were no spare beds and their father had taken the guest room, Sora's mother suggested they take Sora's room. So now, Kairi found herself sharing a Full-sized bed with her sister—the very _same_ bed that her boyfriend slept in.

Sora's mother washed the sheets. That disappointed her. Now it didn't smell like Sora.

"Well, try harder," grumbled Naminé. "Yer shakin' me."

Kairi groaned and shifted her position in her nightie. She wasn't sleeping very well, even as hard as she tried. She just couldn't get her eyes to close again.

Naminé sighed. "All right, girl, what's on your mind?"

Kairi and Naminé faced one another, and the redhead sighed. "I didn't have a very good dream...yeah...it was a nightmare."

Naminé frowned. "Ain't you too old to be gettin' scared o' monsters under the bed?"

Kairi shook her head. "No, it was...it was about Sora." She bit her lip, licking the surface to wet it. "I dreamt I was with him...in that house. And I saw that man's face, and he did terrible things to Sora." Naminé listened intently to Kairi's dream, as tired as she was. "And right there watching, there was this...this...guy. I don't know," Kairi shook her head, "He looked like some sorta ghost. I thought—no, I felt it—he could do something. I yelled at 'im. 'Why won't you help them!' He didn't answer, so I dove in, and then the man slapped me, and he started choking me. I woke up, an' I was all short of breath..."

Naminé yawned. "Dreams 're jus' dreams, Kairi. Yer just scared for Sora's all...I understand that. But don't let no li'l nightmare get to ya, mm'kay?" She yawned again and rolled over. "G'night, sis."

Kairi turned over also, but she still had a worried look on her face. She chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip. _But it was so vivid, _she thought. _I ain't been that scared of a dream before since Papa read me Little Red Riding Hood as a kid._

Sighing, Kairi again rolled over and struggled with the absence of sleep. She checked the clock, which read one twenty-two in the morning, and then looked outside at the moon. It was starting to wane. Kairi couldn't help but feel like something ominous was over the horizon; it was just a bad feeling she had, and she didn't like it.

* * *

Another quiet moan interrupted his attempts to return to Dreamland.

And this time he _knew_ he'd heard it.

Riku made an "oh, _great,_" sort of face and turned onto his other side, sitting up on his elbows. Being that his night vision was better than his day vision (no thanks to Ansem), he could clearly see in the pitch-black night, with his eyes like a carribean sea, the soft, ever-slight arches and curves of Sora's half-naked body, and the brunet's head nestled into his pillow. He squirmed, and Riku only watched. As of late, he'd been finding Sora more and more interesting. Maybe it was the absence of Tidus. Maybe it was the insanely overwhelming population of toddlers and crybabies. He didn't know. But be it Tidus-less-ness or screeching brats, he didn't care what started it. He was just glad that it had.

For, as Riku liked to think, any sane person still living, straight _or_ gay, would have to admit that there were qualities about Sora that were sexy in their own right.

He felt his eye twitch when Sora cringed in his sleep and made a face. "Nnn..." Sora tossed his head. "Aaah..."

Any naïve, presumptuous person would have assumed it was a pleasurable wet dream. Riku knew better. Those were sounds of pain. Ones he was most attuned to. Besides, he cringed. Who cringes during good sex?

The more he watched it, the more Riku wanted to do something to make it stop. He didn't think it was right to see Sora in pain (after all, if he'd thought it right, he wouldn't have taken him with him during his flee, would he?) and also, it was ruining his sleep.

_Nnnn. Wonder if he'll slaughter me when he wakes up in the morning._ Riku considered a thought. Sora slept like the dead—that much he'd learned for sure. It would be a pain to wake him up. But...

_Well, they say human touch helps._ Riku paused, thinking...

Shrugging, Riku crawled over, and dragged Sora to him a little. The brunet whined in protest, clutching his pillow, and ultimately taking it with him as Riku spooned him and wrapped an arm around the brunet's waist. Sora was still making sad little wails in sleep. Riku reached a hand up and stroked his chest.

"Ssshhh."

Sora's hand suddenly flung backwards and smacked Riku in the face. Riku coiled back with a hiss and shook his head, a hand over his nose. _Fuck, he almost hits as hard as I do!_

The brunet mumbled something incoherent under his breath, squirmed a little, and moments later, he gradually settled down. Riku watched warily, waiting for any more hands to swing back and hit him. When that didn't happen, he smirked.

"Okay, I get it," he whispered. "I do it again and you'll kick me in the balls." He squeezed Sora a little, sighing with content and nuzzling his head against the pillow, his breath warming the back of Sora's neck. Sora smiled slightly in his sleep and made a little purr.

_Eeehhh. _Riku drifted into sleep, thinking:_ He'll thank me in the end._


	35. Ch 35: Consideration

**Author's Notes:** Greetings from Cancun! I'm having a GREAT time so far, but my feet really HURT. At the moment I'm waiting on FREE!room service and watching a movie with my friend. So here's another _super-quick_ chapter, but surely you'll like it, cuz...you know...it promises greater things. X3

* * *

Chapter 35

_"Consideration"_

**Friday, September Sixth**

**Fifteen Days Missing**

The small window above the bed that just barely reached above ground allowed the sunshine to flow into Riku and Sora's borrowed bedroom on Sally Doll Avenue. Sora nearly forgot that this wasn't his house; he had a way of quickly adjusting to his surroundings and was already quite comfortable. He shifted a little in bed, sighing and cuddling up against the warmth pressing to him all along his back. _Mmmm. Cozy._

Sora stayed like that for most of the time he spent half-awake. Eyes closed, head on the pillow, enjoying the coziness and warmth. Only when he was fully awake did he feel another's breath on his neck, and the shifting of a body as Riku got up and went into the bathroom to shower with no words being said.

That was when the brunet did a rewind in his head and froze.

_Oh my God...was he __**hugging **me? AND I WAS ASLEEP?_ He shot up in bed, thinking about this. He processed, and processed, and processed some more, and the more he lingered on it, the more Sora seemed to feel more disappointment than anger. Almost like he was upset that he hadn't noticed...well...maybe just a little.

Sora puckered his lips in a trademark pout. _Nnneeeehhhh...he was hugging me..._ the way he said it in his mind was a cross between unsure and surely disgusted—if that was even the right word. Sora couldn't describe if he'd have been disgusted, or angry, or something else. It was difficult to say. But one thing was for sure. Riku was really warm.

He blushed as he started to trail off and smacked himself on both sides of his head. _No! Bad thoughts! Wake up, Sora, wake up!_ The brunet groaned and fell back down against the pillows and sheets.

"Soooraaaa, what are you going to _do_ with yourself?"

Thinking of Kairi had helped less and less, up to the point where it didn't even help at all, but only served to worsen his mood. Sora tugged his fingers slowly down over his face and moaned in distress, just listening to the sound of the running water in the bathroom. He had no idea how, but they'd slept through the waking hours of the monsters. How else could it be so incredibly quiet outside? Besides, looking at the clock told him it was almost nine o'clock—surely, then, they would all be at school by now, and Seifer might be at work.

More sighing. Sora closed his eyes and listened to the shower, letting the silence take a stab at clearing his head. It worked a little bit, anyway. Well enough that Sora wasn't feeling quite so confused. He frowned, however, going over what he and Riku had talked about yesterday. Riku's words eventually began to echo in his head.

_If you don't care, and you don't see anything wrong with it, then why are you so adverse to giving it a shot?_

_It's clearly bothering you._

_Would you rather wake up with some random guy...?_

_Maybe you're not gay. Maybe you're bi._

Sora frowned. Rewind!

_Would you rather wake up with some random guy...?_

He sat up in bed again. Wait a minute—had Riku been implying that he wanted to be the one to break Sora's confusion?

Sora considered this, and then he turned a deep shade of red. He hated to say it, but the whole concept didn't sound terrible at all. In fact...if anything...that sounded like the best thing Sora could hope for.

_But wait, what about Kairi?_ Sora chewed on his bottom lip. He didn't want this to get in the way of Kairi. Even if he was feeling a little weird lately, despite all that, he wasn't completely turned off by her. Was this going to hurt that somehow? Sora had no idea how any of this stuff worked. He started to scowl a little bit and crossed his arms. _Well...technically...she never sounded all that excited...but she must be worried..._

_Worried, schmorried. She didn't see that date as a date, and you know it. That's a sign, isn't it?_

Sora blinked.

The water turned off, and there was silence.

Then Fate's timer decided to tick, and Riku walked out with a towel around his waist, another one ruffling his hair dry. He peered out from underneath, observing Sora's dumbstruck expression.

"Hey. You don't mind, right, about last night? You weren't sleeping that well."

_Sora turned his eyes up to Riku, and he swallowed hard as he started to form the words on the tip of his tongue..._


	36. Ch 36: First Kiss

Author's Notes: Mwahahaha! Don't think I didn't read your reviews. Yes, I'm a BITCH! I'm an evil scheming BITCH! And that's why I left it THERE! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA - (coughcoughcough) (ahem) Okay, obviously not evil enough to laugh like that. Man, is that hard on the throat.

So we are currently having a little siesta and will soon go swim out by the pool - which is split in several sections and is practically a miniature _lake_. No joke. Anyhow...

You wanted answers...well, you got answers! Read it and love it, bitches!

Wait, you're not the bitches. That'_s my _job. Sorry. :)

* * *

Chapter 36

_"First Kiss"_

"...If I try this...this...whatever it is..." Sora blinked several times. He felt like his tongue had grown thick. "...It's not, uh..."

Riku had a quiet smile on his face. "Whatever you do after is all up to you."

Sora winced. That wasn't an answer he'd been expecting.

"What, you wanted me to tell you you'd keep your precious girlfriend?"

The brunet sulked. "Yeah...kind of..."

Riku shrugged. "What you do is up to you. It's your choice." He smirked. "I knew you wouldn't be able to last that long, anyway..."

Sora growled. "Shut up, it's not like I _wanted_ this to happen, okay?"

The silvery-haired teen snickered. "I'm just joking." Riku went over and sat down next to Sora—still without a top, still wearing a towel, the one that had scrubbed his hair less wet sitting in his lap.

"So...how do you want to do this?"

The brunet blinked at him. "Do what?"

"_Kiss,_ you goof."

Sora blushed. "N-_Now!_"

Riku nodded. Sora swallowed hard. "I-I...I...uhh..."

Riku tilted his head. "Sora, are you nervous?"

Sora gulped. "Uh...yeah..."

"Well, don't be. That's your first problem."

His blush still wasn't gone, but he nodded. "O-Okay." But in his head, he still couldn't stop thinking—_oh my God, I'm going to kiss __**Riku.** I'm going to kiss a **BOY.**_

"You're still tense."

Sora cringed again and shook his hands as if weighing something in distress. "I'm sorry, it's just that, I...I've never done this before, and—" He looked up, surprised, "—_Definitely_ not with a guy, so I probably...suck...and...stuff...and...why are you staring at me like that?" Sora coiled back. Riku was giving him a deadpan, unblinking stare, and to tell the truth, it was unnerving him. Just a _little_ bit.

"You done?"

Sora fought back the next blush and nodded slightly without a word.

"Good, I don't wanna kiss you while you're yakking."

"S-Sorry, I'm just...nervous...and stuff..." Riku started leaning in towards him, and Sora wasn't sure if he should pull away or move closer. Since both seemed like a bad idea, he just sat still with wide blue eyes staring into Riku's.

Then Riku suddenly paused, inches from Sora's face, leaving the brunet to just stare at him in wonder before he drew back. Sora blinked at him.

"What the hell...? Aren't you going to kiss me?"

"Are you going to stop looking like a deer in the headlights?"

Sora was flustered now. "I don't _know_—! Why don't you just get it over with, and _then_ we'll see what I feel like—"

Lips quieted his and he made a muffled grunt, frozen as Riku cupped his palms to Sora's cheeks and kissed him firmly. Sora lifted his hands up like he was going to push away, but stopped, and they were suspended suddenly in the space between their bodies.

Sora felt an odd sort of tingling—not just with his lips touching Riku's, but all throughout his body, creeping down his spine. His eyes were still open, but Riku's were closed—he couldn't see the carribbean blue anymore.

Riku's lips peeled slowly away from his, and then kissed him again. Sora felt himself relax. _This isn't so bad,_ he thought. It was his first kiss, but it was—oddly enough—a good kiss. He didn't expect it to feel this normal. He thought it would make his confusion worse, make him feel all mixed up—instead, it was more like a wave of relief. Like he was actually _glad_ to do this. It was funny, but he truly didn't mind it at all. In fact, after the third kiss, he even placed his hands on Riku's chest and let his eyes slide shut, kissing him back.

* * *

Riku smirked mentally the instant Sora began to respond, and his hands shifted—one wrapped around to cradle Sora's head, and the other gently stroked his neck. He put a little bit more lean into it, but Sora did the same. The result was a deepening kiss; Riku was _so_ tempted to swipe his tongue through that sweet little mouth, but he resisted. He didn't want to make this go too far over Sora's head, after all. Getting the poor guy scared was the last thing he wanted to do.

Even _he_ felt some satisfaction out of this. Quite a lot, actually.

Riku never told Sora this, but the truth was that he'd never kissed before. (He'd snuck one to Tidus, but for all practical purposes, that never counted.) Never had he done this, or even considered being with someone. Tidus was sweet—and kind—just his type. But the fact was, there was no way in hell he'd get together with Tidus. Sora, on the other hand, _he_ was a possible catch. That is, if he could actually loosen him up about being gay (or bi, however it turned out to be). Riku felt no shame in that. If anything, he hoped Sora would accept him. He'd wanted this so badly—all of his life—to love and be loved in return. Ansem had robbed him of this for years, after his father had scared Tifa out of the house. A mother's love was not the kind of love he was searching for. If it were, he would have spent the last four years hunting down Tifa.

No, Riku wanted a lover. Someone to kiss and hug and hold. Someone he could finally feel at ease with, after all the horrors he'd endured.

He felt Sora stroke his fingers through his long, damp hair. Riku drew in a breath and heard the soft sound of their lips pulling apart, and he suspended them there. Slowly his eyes opened, just as Sora's did. He suddenly grinned at the other.

"Is there a way to turn off your blushing mechanism?"

That just made Sora even redder. Riku chuckled at him.

"Don't worry. It's very cute."

He didn't get a response to that. Just more blushing. _He's so fucking adorable. He acts like a guy any other time, but the moment he gets kissed..._

Riku sat up straight now. "So? What did you think?"

Sora swallowed hard. "Um..." A long silence followed. Riku smirked.

"I'll make it simple. Did you like it? Yes or no."

Sora didn't hesitate to nod. "Y-Yes."

He smiled then. "That's good. At least I wasn't a horrible first kiss for you."

Sora's eyes widened. "How did you know that was my first kiss?" he blurted.

Riku peered down at him as he stood up. "Was it? I know it was your first with a guy, but..."

Sora said nothing, just staring at him. Riku blinked.

"Hold on. You and your girlfriend...you _never_ kissed?"

The brunet shook his head embarrassingly, eyes turned down. Riku was stunned.

"How long have you two been _dating?_"

Sora squirmed on the bed nervously. "Three or four months..."

"How many actual dates have you been on?" This got worse and worse the more Riku heard it. Sora fell silent on the dates question. Riku changed into a pair of boxers.

"Sora?"

"...One..."

"Are you _serious?_" Riku laughed. "Jesus, did you take a virginity pledge or something?"

"It's not like that!" Sora cried, looking up angrily. "She's just a little nervous, and I don't want to push her!"

"_Four_ months, _one_ date, _NO_ kiss? She doesn't even sound the least bit interested in you." Riku cocked his head, giving Sora an odd glance from the corners of his eyes as he changed into some blue jeans. "Are you _sure_ she's your girlfriend?"

Sora was pouting now. "YES," he snapped. "Yes, I'm sure she's my girlfriend!"

Riku shook his head as he picked up a shirt. "Maybe you _are_ gay," he mumbled.

Five seconds later he was smacked in the head with something hard. When it tumbled to the floor, he saw it was the clock. Riku's hands flew up to his skull and held the back of it.

"OW!" He whirled around and glared at Sora, who was glaring at him. "What the fuck was THAT for! That fucking _hurt!_"

Sora stood up. "You're a _jerk!_" he snarled. He stormed out the door and shut it forcibly behind him. Riku had to let that sink in for a minute before he caught his own mistake and winced.

"Oh, that was real _slick_ of you, Riku." he grumbled. Now his mood was bad. He pulled his shirt on and sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Ow...Jesus." He picked up the clock and set it on the bedside table again, sitting down. Now he felt bad.

_Damn it. Next time you want to say something like that, keep your fucking mouth shut!_

_

* * *

_

**Author's Notes: **Sorry, Riku, but you'll have to work a little harder than that!

Riku: Aww, fuck. I wanted the easy way out.

Sora: Noooo! Kairiiii! (reaches out for Kairi)

Kairi: Noooo! Soooraaaa! (reaches out for Sora)

Riku: (electro-shocks Kairi and drugs Sora) Oh yeah, I'm an evil bastard. Ha ha ha ha! (makes off with a limp Sora in his arms)

Holy hell, they're back! _The voices in my head have returrrrned!_ Everyone, meet the voices in my head. Voices in my head...um...run rampant and crazy!

Sora and Riku: YESSSSSS!


	37. Ch 37: I'm Just A Little Unwell

**Author's Notes:** I had notes to tell you all, but FF.N was a bitch and wiped it clean.

Basically, got to have fun at a Mexican Wal-Mart. Whooo. I was paranoid as hell trying to make sure my parents and friends stayed together. We ate at a nice restaurant and such.

If anyone read this when the site was being a whore, they'll notice any formatting fuck-ups were fixed.

* * *

Chapter 37

_"I'm Just A Little Unwell"_

Sora was upstairs some hours later, eating little capfuls of Jello that he'd found high up on the refrigerator. He wondered why on earth Jello would be kept on top of the refrigerator, and he was wondering why they all tasted a little sour, but hey—Jello is Jello. Besides, it didn't taste half bad. It wasn't spoiled, so as far as he was concerned, it was free game. And it came in all sorts of flavors, too!

He shook off the dizzy buzz he got after two or three of them, but didn't exactly quit consuming them. In fact, the more he ate them, the better they tasted, so he essentially began to treat it as a buffet. He sat on the couch watching television—and since they were the only two there besides Fuujin, who was napping, he went nuts with the channel surfing, mostly on cartoons. Everything that was on was funny today. He sometimes laughed so hard his face would get red from lack of oxygen; then he would switch channels and watch something else. This went on even up to the point where Riku arrived. Sora smiled goofily and waved.

"Heya, Riku!"

_You're looking really good in that,_ he thought. Sora blinked and raked his eyes over Riku's form without a second thought. _He's hotter than Kairi!_ This thought made him giggle.

Riku cast a sideways glance at him. Sora was still grinning like an idiot.

"What's up?"

"Um, nothing. Listen, about earlier...I'm sorry I offended you. I shouldn't have said that."

Sora waved a hand, eyes rolling. "Pfffff. Don't _worry_ 'bout it, iss'cool, esé!" He paused. "What'd you say, again?"

* * *

At this point, even Riku was starting to get worried. "Sora, are you okay?" He warily eyed the pile of little plastic caps around Sora on the couch and floor, and at the little treat he was slurping up right now. Sora continued to grin madly at him.

"Fine, fine! Never been better!"

Riku blinked. He'd never even seen Sora _this_ cheery—he was either really pissed and trying to hide it (badly), or he was—

Oh, _shit._

"Sora, what are you eating?"

"Jello!" Sora held one up. "Want one? It's jiggly."

Riku snatched up the thing in Sora's hands, sniffed it, and scooped it out an ate it. He almost gagged when he swallowed, and stared at the empty cup incredulously, brow scrunching in disgust.

"Sora, these are Jello _shots!_"

"Isn't it yummy?"

"These have _alcohol_ in them! Where the fuck did you find these!"

Sora pointed to the top of the refrigerator. Riku flung his hands up. "Did you even stop to think that they might be up there for a _reason? _Jesus Christ!" Riku hissed at him, "You're fucking _drunk!_"

Sora blinked at him, frowned, then smiled again. "I am? Wickeeeed."

"How many of these did you—no, wait, don't answer that." Riku shook his head, shielding from his vision the pile of empty caps on the floor and couch. "Good God, Sora, you don't eat Jello shots at sixteen years old...!"

"Underage! Whoo-hooo!" Sora flung his arms up in the air. Riku whirled around and clamped a hand down on Sora's mouth.

"Sssshhh! Fuujin might hear you!"

"Bull_shit_ she'll hear me," Sora snorted. Riku growled and tugged Sora up.

"Come on, can you walk?"

"No!" the brunet giggled. "Wheee...my legs are wobbly..."

Riku sighed. He walked around the couch, and then slung Sora's arm over one shoulder, wrapped an arm around his waist and started moving. "Let's go, you. Bed and water. Gotta get you sober."

* * *

Sora was practically leaning on the other with his entire body weight. As Riku took him downstairs into the basement, he kept on giggling and making little mumbling jokes at himself. (Well, _he_ found them funny, while obviously Riku did not.)

"Your face is redder than it is when you blush," Riku grumbled. Sora grinned.

"Hee hee hee, I'm a cherry!"

"Yeah, and that cherry's gonna pop soon if we don't control the swelling..." Riku paused for a moment, as if thinking, and then shook his head.

Getting him down the stairs was actually a pain. At one point, Sora stumbled and fell down about eight of them face-down, whining in pain at the end of it, and Riku eventually settled with picking him up and just carrying him down. By the time they got to the actual bed, Sora was clinging to Riku like a baby monkey.

"Get off me," Riku nudged him. "I'm going to get you some water."

"I dun'waaant annyyyy." Sora had his arms and legs wrapped around Riku's shoulders and waist, accordingly. "Mmmmm, _my_ Riku."

"Sora!" Riku finally pried him off and let him drop to the bed. "Stay there. Don't move."

"M'kaaay!" Sora rolled onto his stomach and hugged the pillow, nuzzling it while Riku went into the bathroom to fill a cup with cold water. Sora smiled dreamily.

_Pillow has Riku-smell._ His smile widened and he breathed in the scent of shampoo on the pillow. They both used the same kind, but that thought didn't occur to Sora. It was Riku's scent at the moment, and that was all.

The silver-haired teen came out again moments later with a glass of water in hand. He gave it to Sora, and the brunet took it only because Riku was giving it to him. He sipped at it quietly, and meanwhile, Riku sat down next to him.

"You're not leaving this bed. Until you're sober again, I'm not letting you get up."

Sora blinked at him, bleary, and shrugged. His vision was just a little hazy—in fact, most of his senses were like that. And there was a very odd buzz in his head, one that creeped south down his spine and made his whole body tingly and numb. Quiet now, Sora just drank a little more of the water. It was tasteless. He didn't like it.

"Seriously, how many did you have?" Riku asked. Sora shrugged again.

"Ummmmm...ten...fifteen?"

"Jesus _Christ!_" Riku shook his head. "If the legal drinkers find them gone, I'm pointing straight at _you_."

Once more, Sora didn't really care. He found his eyes wandering to Riku's, examining his features. His eyes, his cheeks, his lips, the curve of his neck. Strangely, the way Riku looked right now was much more interesting than what he was saying. _Sexy,_ he thought. And, while he wasn't able to pick up on this, Kairi was entirely gone from his mind.

Riku stared at him, and Sora stared back. Then the silver-haired one blinked first.

"You got quiet."

"You got sexy."

Riku sighed and flicked Sora lightly on the nose, making the brunet go cross-eyed. "And _you're_ a bold little bastard when you're drunk—I'll remember that."

Sora giggled at him and touched his lips to the rim of the glass. "Sexy, sexy Riku." he mumbled. He blinked, recalling a name. "Mmm...pretty Kairi...sexy Riku."

Said teenager just shook his head. "Sora, quit muttering, you sound like a crackhead."

"Y'neverrr knowww'f I miight be," Sora said loudly, actually squealing this time as he flung his whole body forward languidly and flopped onto Riku, clinging to his waist. Riku jumped mentally.

"Hey, whoa, whoa!" Sora pushed so hard that he spilled the glass of water all over Riku and the sheets. While Sora just went on tittering like a schoolgirl, Riku was shuddering from the sudden freeze on his torso.

"You klutz!"

Sora just purred and nuzzled up against the other. "Mmmm, body heat."

Riku growled. "Sora, my stomach is freezing and it's all your fault."

"Ask me if I care," the brunet slurred. He brushed his lips against Riku's skin through the cloth of his shirt and bit a little hard.

"OW!" Riku winced and pushed Sora's face away. "Look, if you're going to get frisky, at least try not to hurt me, okay? I got enough scars as it is."

"Frisky?" Sora sat up then, totally detaching from the other, cocking his head curiously like this was a new thing to him. Riku leered at him.

"Yes, contrary to what your hazy mind is thinking, I don't like monkey bites." (_If that even _was_ a monkey bite,_ Riku thought, _that was just a _bite!)

Sora pondered on this for the next several moments, but after that, it all went black—his memory and his senses failed him and the only thing he would remember doing later that evening is falling asleep.

* * *

Seifer came home at four from work and found Fuujin holding a mostly-empty pan of Jello shots out of reach from the children. When Seifer managed to shoo them all away, the first thing that scared him was how many were gone.

"Where the fuck are all my babies?" he demanded. "How many did the little bastards _eat?_"

Fuujin pointed to the stairs leading to the basement. "Not them. Sora."

Seifer stared at the pan, and shook his head, thinking his eyes had deceived him.

"Well, fuck, I hope he doesn't _die_."

"Not die," Fuujin shrugged, "Just drunk."

* * *

A dark-skinned hand gripped the bars of his hospital bed so hard that his knuckles were white. The cradle of the phone received the same treatment.

"She did WHAT?"

"You'll have to settle for counter-sueing. This will make things much harder for you," Sephiroth said. "It appears that bitch ex-mother of Riku's beat you to the punch. Court already declared her the plaintiff."

Ansem didn't even answer to that. There was a very long pause, and he grit his teeth before slamming the phone back down onto the receiver. He wanted to rip his pillow apart and grab a needle and stab the nearest nurse that came by. The staff and other patients must have sensed this, because suddenly all the people around him shut their curtains if they were still open, and the doctors and nurses all gave him wary glances from the corner of their vision and shrank away.

Reality was starting to close in on him, and he was absolutely HATING it. Surely there was a way out of this—there had to be! He was going to get out of this somehow; all you needed were the right connections and plenty of green.

But even Ansem didn't find going over it thousands of times to prove very helpful.

No matter how many angles and excuses he invented...he was most assuredly fucked.


	38. Ch 38: On The Rise

**Author's Notes: **Oh, GOD! FINALLY! Cheer for motherfucking Hallelujah, everybody! I finally uploaded the freaking chapter!

Okay, so here's the pitch. I've been stuck for the past three frickin' days fighting this bitch and betting my ass it was my Internet connection. Apparently I wasn't the only one having problems loading? Yeah, I kept getting a blank page or an error page. It was fine until, like, what...Monday? I was like..."What. The. Fuck." And so I was stuck with no uploading but only writing, having fun in Cancun.

On Monday, we went to Isla Mujerres (Island of the Women). Here we went on a big ship, traveled around a little on it, went to the island, and did some snorkeling, which was AWESOME. The fish were, like, right up by my face, and if you followed the guide around they swarmed around him for food. So I got to touch a few that way. The reef looked GORGEOUS when you looked down - I mean, the water was so blue that you could see how deep it went. Of course, my friend Lomesir got a live lobster waved in her face. She yelled "Not funny!" in Spanish.

Then we moped around, then on Wednesday we went to Ixcaret (or however it's spelled) and we were planning on swimming through an underground river (kickASS), but my stepmother got heat exhaustion so bad she couldn't stand. And me and Lomesir were feeling pretty wrecked, to - the place was all open-air with no AC. So we went back home early and moped around some more. Then yesterday and today (Friday) we did a little more of nothing, but I found out I can run faster now! Swweeeet.

So to make up for my absence, you'll notice a little back-to-back update going on. We left off on, what, thirty-seven? So now you're gonna get...not one...not two...but THREE! chapters. Because I ROCK HARDCORE LIKE THAT. (ego, anyone?) So enjoy the freaking chapters, you loveable little ducks!

* * *

Chapter 38

_"On The Rise"_

**Sunday, September Eighth**

**Seventeen Days Missing**

Cloud didn't particularly enjoy his photoshoot in the afternoon. He was so busy thinking—thinking about Tuesday, which he'd surmised was the day Grievers would be coming to pick up Riku and Sora. And thinking about Sephiroth, who was questioning him more and more about the children. They hardly ever bedded together anymore, too—Cloud saw through this trick after the first day. Sephiroth thought Cloud would talk if he deprived the blond of sex. Cloud was very concerned over how this was turning out. He'd never seen this side of Sephiroth before, and he wondered if he was still talking to the same man he'd fallen in love with. So far, it didn't seem that way.

"Don't worry about it, Strifey," Marluxia had told him after the shoot. "I'm sure Mister Penna's just in a bad mood. He's not going to fire you or anything—let it all blow over, and things will be fabulous again in no time!"

Not as if the pink-haired cameraman knew about their relationship; though sometimes, Cloud did wonder. Marluxia talked with a certain entendre that implied he knew things that he shouldn't, yet he was clever enough to disguise it that only Cloud ever considered the thought.

_I sure _hope_ he doesn't fire me,_ Cloud thought as he drove home. _I can't imagine what I'd do to support the children _and_ the house._ This made him sigh as he pulled up into the driveway and made it back to the couch overflowing with kids by three. Lately, the press had grown quite bored with the Strife household—Riku and Sora were the juicy story now. What luck for him that they didn't yet know the two were there. Ah, but Grievers—Cloud clenched his fist as he sat down and watched the children play.

He couldn't begin to describe how upset Grievers made him. He insisted on coming even still; Cloud had tried again and again to persuade him to remain at home, but Grievers had a will like iron and wouldn't bend. If any of the tabloids or papers found out the boys were here, Cloud knew it would be back to the Defcon-Five routine again. He knew full well how much the children hated that. Only in the past week had they finally been allowed to play outside again; breaking their hearts by telling them to close the curtains again was not something the blond looked forward to.

Maybe if he played his cards right, when Grievers came he could make it look like it was just a visitor—they could leave at night, and then...

_Hmm,_ Cloud pondered this as the night went on. _That doesn't sound like a bad idea._ He nodded several times as if to assure himself. _Yes, I think that just might work! _Now he smiled in a wily manner to his computer screen as he checked his e-mail. _Cloud Strife, you are a genius._

But then the inbox pinged in a new letter, and he saw it was from Sephiroth Penna. Frowning, Cloud opened up the e-mail. It was short—no more than a sentence or two.

_The more we talk, the more I know you're hiding something._

_Please tell me what it is._

_I miss you._

_- Sephiroth_

He scoffed. _Talk? What talk? You hardly say a friendly word to me, Seph..._ Cloud got a pout on his face now as he slid his fingers together like threads and rested his chin on their knuckles. _Tell me why you're doing this. I can't read your mind, baby, you know that..._

Cloud was now thoroughly certain Sephiroth was suspicious of him hiding Riku and Sora. He wouldn't deny it was true, but it still worried him. Why would Sephiroth have such a pressing interest in it? Where did he fit into all this? It made Cloud shake his head and sigh. He didn't know what to do—the only thing he could think to help it along with was to simply do nothing at all. But it was the doing nothing part that bothered him the most.

There must be something he could do, right?

The computer rang in a new message for him.

**GrieversKeepers: **Somehow I can still picture a scowling face behind your screen.

Cloud looked at the sentence, then he smiled, and wrote back.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez:** thank you for picking up my mood.

* * *

"C'mon, cut it out. I feel cramped already!"

"And whose bright idea was it to hide in the closet?"

"Don't shift like that! I can feel your gonads! Ew, this is so disgusting!" Kairi smacked Tidus in what she thought was his head, and Tidus ended up covering his face.

"Ow! My nose!"

"Push yerself up against the coats or something! Can't a lady have some space?" Kairi kicked Tidus' shin.

"OW! Nasty little—!"

"Yer hand was on my boob!"

"Well, I was trying to get the wall, okay? Jeez! I wasn't feeling you up or anything!"

Kairi growled. "Just make sure you know I'm taken, ya pervert!"

Tidus grumbled something under his breath. _Sora, when you get home from wherever you are, I swear to God I'm going to kill you._

Roxas swung open the door to the hallway closet in Sora's house, a mischeivous grin on his face. "Now, how did I know I'd find you two in here?"

Tidus and Kairi both pointed at each other.

"He started it!"

"She started it!"

"I didn't start anything!" wailed Kairi.

"You started whining about being in the closet!" Tidus snapped. "It was your idea to hide here in the first place! I was here first!"

"_Oh!_" huffed Kairi, stomping her foot. "It was a bad idea to share a spot with you! I'm never hidin' with _you_ again!"

Tidus waved frantically at her, eyes wide. "Roxas, she's a_ siren!_ Tell her! Tell her I'm not a boobie-grabbing lech!"

Roxas quirked an eyebrow at him. Kairi caught it and glowered at the sandy-haired blond, who threw up his arms.

"_I swear to God, I'm innocent!_" he cried. Kairi sighed.

"I _guess_ I can forgive you...if ya treat me to a bowl of ice cream."

Tidus waved his arms to Kairi again, bewildered. "Can you believe her, Roxas? She expects me to treat her like a princess!"

"I _am_ a princess!" Kairi snapped, crossing her arms. "Sora _tells_ me so."

Tidus hissed demonically and strangled the air, pretending it was Sora's neck.

"Sounds like your boyfriend spoils you," Roxas snickered. Kairi got a dreamy smile on her face and sighed romantically.

"He's so sweet. He buys me ice cream on hot summer days and takes me for walks on the path." She frowned, sighing more stressfully this time. "I miss Sora. Gosh, I hope he's okay."

"He won't be okay when _I'm_ through with him," snarled Tidus under his breath, kicking up a miniature translucent storm cloud with his foot. Mrs. Tilmitt had been so worried that she'd neglected to clean the house lately. It was collecting bunnies of the dusty variety.

Roxas leaned over to Tidus as Kairi walked off, declaring she would go find her sister. "Remind me never to move down south," he said to him.

Tidus grumbled and crossed his arms, pouting. Roxas snickered.

"Come on, it ain't that bad. She's pretty hot..."

"Yeah, and she's a redheaded, finger-pointing _witch_. Did you forget that part?"

Roxas smiled nervously. "Well, at least her twin's a little less hot-headed..."

The sandy blond muttered curses and began to walk with Roxas to somewhere in the house where they figured Selphie was hiding. They'd been doing this for a while now, mostly to relieve the tension of Sora's absence. But unfortunately, the old tensions were replaced with new ones as Tidus and Kairi continuously argued and generally got along not-so-well.

"Maybe you _should_ give her that bowl of ice cream," Roxas suggested. "You know, to sedate her or something. Then you should set yourself up with one so you can fall asleep on the couch."

It didn't take much for Tidus to consider this. He couldn't stand Kairi, and sleep seemed to be the only salvation he had right now. Maybe he'd give her a few dozen scoops of Double-Fudge Brownie and hope for the best. He might already have a shot at it—he heard Kairi speaking with an elated tone to Sora's parents in the kitchen.

"Yes, he's going to come down and visit tomorrow and stay for a couple of days." Lisa drank from a cold glass of martini. "I feel like I'm home again. Everyone's giving their support, just like in the good old days."

"It'll be so fun with Hayner around!" Kairi agreed with a nod of her auburn-haired head. "Maybe when Sora gets back, him and Hayner can do some catchin' up! I know my baby just missed him so much when he went off to try for the marines. It'll be a great comin'-home surprise!"

* * *

Sora picked at his plate in the downstairs bedroom. Cloud and Fuujin had helped to prepare a Japanese dinner, so he was looking at a simple spread of sushi and tempura, but he just wasn't feeling that hungry. Riku had finished his dinner hours ago. The tempura must have gotten cold by now. (He wasn't worried about cold sushi, because sushi is _always_ cold.) Sora sighed and checked the clock. 9:43 P.M. He felt like it was eleven.

"Are you gonna eat that?" Riku asked, pointing to his tuna sushi. Sora resisted the urge to turn his nose up, he was feeling so strange, and handed the whole plate to the other.

"Go ahead. I'm not hungry."

Riku blinked at him and then at his plate. "Are you serious? Usually, you eat like a little piglet. You're not going to eat any of this?"

Sora shrugged. "I'm just not hungry... ." He said passively.

Riku sat down next to him, though, setting the food in question aside. "What's the matter, Sora?" He got a guilty face. "Is it about a couple days ago...?"

Sora said nothing right away, but he shook his head—though whether he was saying "no" or "I'm not sure", he couldn't tell. After he'd had too many of those Jello shots (never again would he touch the things), he blacked out and couldn't remember much after Riku had taken him downstairs. But when he'd woken up, not only did he have a killer headache, but his and Riku's legs had been tangled together and he had a hand up his shirt—it wasn't one of his. The immediate reaction had been Sora screaming, "OH MY GOD!" And leaping out of bed dusting at himself and tugging at his boxer shorts like an ultimative sin, running around like a headless chicken and demanding to know what had happened last night. Then after finding out he hadn't actually _slept_ with Riku, he receded into a few hours of red-faced silence as he drank glass after glass of water, peeing several times in the process and thinking of nothing but what had transpired. Then the next morning, the confusion settled in, and ever since Sora had somehow lost his bottomless pit of an appetite. Something had put a plug on the Black Hole for Food.

"Listen, if that's what's been bothering you, I'll say again how sorry I am." Riku told him sincerely. "I mean, I wasn't thinking, and you were drunk, and it was just...it was a bad decision. So, I'm sorry."

Sora got something on his lips that was halfway between a frown and a pout. ("It's a Frout," Riku had so graciously named it.)

"No...that's just it..."

Riku tilted his head curiously, but when Sora didn't elaborate, he asked, "What? Making out?" Sora glanced at him sideways and groaned.

"Do you have to call it that?"

"Oh, come on, you _know_ that's what it is."

"Yeah, but I..."

"Are you still homophobic?"

Sora glared. "I am _not_ homophobic!"

"Then stop acting like a clump around me. You're the one who wanted to kiss, remember?"

The brunet sighed again and ran his fingers through his spikey hair. Riku nudged him a little bit. "Hey, is this about your girl?" he wondered. Sora briefly questioned how Riku had gotten to be so good at reading his mind.

"...Kind of," he admitted. "I mean...just now, I was thinking about her. I miss her. I wanna take her on walks again and get her ice cream—you know, boyfriend stuff. But..."

Riku quirked one eyebrow. "But...?"

Sora pouted now. "...After that night..." his brow creased as he thought of how to say this. "...It's like...shouldn't I be feeling some sort of regret? Shouldn't I be panicking and wondering if, you know, if we did something?"

Riku laughed in amusement then. "You mean running around the room screaming wasn't panicky enough? Where did _you_ grow up?"

Sora groaned again, looking at Riku. "That's not what I meant," he sighed. "I mean, I should _still_ be panicking. I shouldn't be getting over it this fast..."

The silver-haired teen shook his head. "Sora, do you know what you need to do? Learn to _relax._ You're thinking too much. If you keep trying to analyze things, you'll never figure it out. Let it go and let it happen, y'know?" Riku grabbed Sora's plate and chomped on a piece of tempura. Sora thought for a while, and he thought hard. He still wasn't feeling okay with it. He should be thinking about Kairi, shouldn't he? But lately, all he could concentrate on was Riku. Maybe it was just because he hadn't seen her in a while—yeah—that had to be it.

So why did he get the weirdest feeling that wasn't the answer at all?

"Sure you're not gonna eat this?" Riku ate another bite of the food. "It's good sushi."

Sora was silent for a great deal longer, until the clock almost read ten. He turned to look at Riku just as he was about to finish off the plate.

"I think I want to try again." he said.

Riku looked up. "Try what?" As if psychic, he read Sora again and added, "Making out?"

Sora turned a little pink, but he nodded. _What've I got to lose, anyway? _He thought.

"You already know what it's like," Riku argued.

"No I don't. I was drunk, remember?"

Riku smiled at him and swallowed the last bite of sushi, then put the plate down and licked his lips. "Mmm, I think I should brush my teeth first. I have fish breath now."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **On to 39! 


	39. Ch 39: Coming to Terms, The Elder

**Author's Notes:** I sometimes wonder if I do these little blurbs just to make up for ineffably short chapters (did I even use that word right? I can't tell, I'm tired). I forgot to say - y'all's support has REALLY helped me out over these past few bitchy-ful days. I loathed either the site or the Internet connection for quite a while there, because I seriously wasn't sure which one to blame...

Now unfortunately, somewhere along the way, I lost most of chapter 40 and all of chapter 41 because my computer was a bastard and didn't save right, so when you read the end of 40, it might be a little choppy, because I was in a rush to get it all back. But generally, I remembered almost exactly what I wrote, so there was close to no change. Sorry, guys!

* * *

Chapter 39

_"Coming To Terms, The Elder"_

**Monday Evening, September Ninth**

**Eighteen Days Missing**

"Ashamed" didn't quite cover it. He was more than ashamed—he was also hurt, embarrassed, angry, and flustered. Not just at himself, but also at Sephiroth. But at the moment, it was upon himself that he shouldered these blames.

Tangled up in his own sheets, still panting, clutching his pillow like it was his own lover, Cloud was red-faced and his nether parts still felt sticky, and he stared at his own white-covered hand before clenching it in a fist and punching the pillow he held. Just because he'd picked up on the trick didn't mean it wouldn't work—unfortunately, Sephiroth was the first and best in his mind—he was more like a drug now than a lover. Also unfortunately, the bastard had cut Cloud off at a time when he'd been extremely horny, and now his mood was thrown off, and he was grumpy, and tired, and craving real sex. He shook his fist in front of his face, glaring at it like a father scolding his child.

_WHY? WHY must you betray me? WHY can't you stay still?_ Addressing the self-pleasuring hand like it was a curse, Cloud punched the pillow again and growled loudly into it, imagining Sephiroth's face. It was so childish of him, and yet, it fit. Not even half a week since he'd heard Sephiroth's announcements of, "No, I'm not in the mood," and already he was jerking off in the late hours of the night like a horny teen. This wasn't normal. Maybe it wasn't that Sephiroth had cut him off at all; maybe it was that Sephiroth had cut him off when Cloud had been planning to make a romantic, sexy night for the two of them, after several tense days of nothing but arguing—maybe _that_ was what had made him this way.

However it had gotten to this point, he was still mad at himself for so easily succumbing to such a simple trick. Even worse was that he now realized no matter how much Sephiroth would do this to him in the future, he would probably cling to him like a child—_like an orphan_—and beg for him to come back. The worst highlights of his moods were when he was able to not only analyze and pinpoint the problem, but to also tack it on himself and accept it as truth. It was those times when he hated the truth the most.

Cloud sighed and turned over onto his back, flinging the covers off, and then heading for the shower so that he could clean up. Luckily, the sheets didn't have much of a mess. His stomach, however, was another story.

_Sister Rosalyn._ Cloud suddenly found himself thinking of the kind woman who raised him. _What would Sister Rosalyn think of me now?_ This made him frown and made his brow crease in deep thought as he turned the showerhead on and changed the temperature to lukewarm. He didn't feel like a hot shower, and he hated cold ones. As he lathered some shampoo into his hair, for no other reason other than to prolong his time under the water, the simplest things from his youth came back to him in flashes. Sister Rosalyn's face was in almost every one of them, smiling, laughing, encouraging him forward on the path he wished to take. Even when they had gone hiking one time, Cloud had wanted to go a different way than the rest of the group, and he remembered Rosalyn's words, clear as a bell:

* * *

_"Why don't you want to go on this path, Cloud?" said Sister Rosalyn. "It's a nice, cool day, and the season makes the trees look pretty."_

_"I know!" Cloud said, pointing to a fork in the road which was overgrown with forest and was clearly long-forgotten. "That's why I want to go down here. There are more trees down here." Several shouts and boos followed this as the rest of the group disagreed._

_"What if there are bears?" asked one girl Cloud disliked in particular._

_"Yeah, what if the girls scream and go running?" said another boy, one Cloud was rather partial to. Hearing him disagree with his proposal somehow made him feel a little shot down._

_Sister Rosalyn put her hands on Cloud's shoulders then, as the blond was now looking quite dejected, and the rest of the children began to wander off, though not entirely too far. She bent down, her habit shading Cloud's eyes from the Autumn sun as she spoke in a whisper:_

_"Don't be upset, Cloud. Not everyone likes to walk the same trail. If we did, we would all be like sheep."_

_Cloud was still pouting with his childish pink lips and crossed his arms with a huff. Sister Rosalyn gave him a hug._

_"In fact, I think that it's good that you're so adventurous. I think you've picked a fine trail."_

_"Yeah, but nobody else thinks so," Cloud grumbled. Here Sister Rosalyn chuckled warmly._

_"You can't always change people's minds, Cloud." She messed up his hair, and he preened it back into place when she was done with his brow furrowed in concentration. "Just remember, Cloud: when you grow up, you'll see that not everyone walks the same path. Some go one way, and some go the other—and sometimes, those paths won't always be good ones—but each one will be unique in some fashion, very distinctly. Small enough that it seems unimportant, but it in fact makes all the difference in the world. Like your path."_

_Here she waved her graceful hands towards it, making Cloud's wide blue eyes stare at it and want to walk through the growth to look for snakes and critters._

_"The only difference I see here is that this one has more trees. But they're very beautiful trees." Cloud turned around with a grin on his face, looking hopeful._

_"So does that mean you'll let me go through it?" he asked. Sister Rosalyn's smile was kind, but apologetic._

_"No, Cloud, not today. But maybe another time, I'll take us out, just you and me. Then you can come back here and walk through the trees."_

_

* * *

_

Cloud opened his eyes after the replay was done in his head, and after the shampoo had been washed out of his hair. Paths. Paths. Different paths. It was no secret that Sister Rosalyn was always teaching him something; every day was somehow a new lesson. She'd told him that not everybody walked the same path. She'd also told him, later on, that sometimes those paths might overlap, but that they might not necessarily stay together. And that when two people separate, it isn't healthy for either of the two people to hold on for far too long.

It was a lesson in letting go.

Cloud frowned. It bothered him a little that _that_ particular lesson would stick out to him so much at a time like this. It was telling him something, but it wasn't something he was ready to consider just yet. Maybe it was true—perhaps Sephiroth just wasn't meant to stay with him. Perhaps some weird, cruel twist of fate was going to pull them apart soon. But Cloud didn't want that; not yet. He wanted answers first—why his lover acting so strangely, and why all this was happening in such a sudden whir.

Yet again, Cloud hated the truth the most. He sighed under the waterspray as he worked some conditioner into his golden locks of hair.

_When the time is right, I'll let it slide,_ he thought, _But until then, I want to hold on._

But when _would_ the time be right?


	40. Ch 40: Coming to Terms, The Younger

**Author's Notes: **I guess this is sort of one of those chapters everyone's been waiting to see. It's not perfect, but it's here. I liked writing this chapter, except for whenever Lomesir was hovering over me out of boredom. Then it was hard to write. I can't really write two guys having smut when I've got someone watching...

Did I forget to mention that Part 2 is almost at a close? Yes!

But will it be over...? NO, I SAY!

* * *

Chapter 40

_"Coming To Terms, The Younger"_

The clock beside their bed read 12:26 in glaring red numbers. It was almost half past midnight, but they still both showed no signs of stopping. They weren't even having sex. Sora had laid that down clear—no matter how far they took it, no sex. Even in the midst of this strange experimenting, where he was sure of himself and yet still so confused, he knew (or thought?) that he would never forgive himself if he bedded with another man before he'd gotten close to Kairi. Then again, he continuously found himself thinking that he'd never gotten this far with Kairi. _Never. _Not even a first kiss...

Sora didn't even know what side of the matter his brain lay on anymore. He was stuck in the middle, unsure of which way to go, and he felt so split. At some points, this felt so _right,_ so _natural._ Lately, he'd been getting more of that. He still had trouble accepting it...but...

...But...

...Riku looked so hot when he arched like that.

Okay, easily distracted. More of that lately, too...

Riku looked down at Sora from where he was reclining against the pillows. Both of them were in nothing but their boxers, and Sora was giving him a weird look.

"What?"

"It's poking my throat," he complained. Riku gave him a half-lidded stare.

"Well, with you licking me everywhere, you expect it not to?" Sora blushed.

"No, it's just..." he got a pout on his face again. "I...I didn't think you'd like it that much." He paused, and looked up. "Am I really that good?"

Riku gestured to the tent between his legs, and with another furious blush, Sora got the picture. There was plenty of proof, and he was staring at it. Riku had a very blunt way of going around things, but that bluntness always seemed to be the most obvious at the right times.

"Ansem didn't make me _forget_ pleasure, you know," said Riku. "Just made my pain tolerance skyrocket."

Sora frowned, and nibbled on a piece of skin on Riku's well-toned abs where a scar of some sort was still clearly visible. Riku purred in response. "Ansem, Ansem, Ansem," muttered the brunet, nibbling the skin again and soothing it with his inexperienced tongue. "Do you ever stop mentioning Ansem?" He sighed and kissed Riku's stomach, just because it felt like the right thing to do. He mumbled again: "Ansem, Ansem, Ansem."

Riku chuckled weakly, "I get it, I get it...mmm...ooh," Riku glanced down when Sora's lips grazed over a nipple. "Hey, do that again."

"Do what again?" Sora blinked, and then looked at the little rosy nub and blushed. "Y-You mean _that?_"

"Yes, that." Riku mussed up Sora's head, smirking. "And you thought they served no purpose."

Sora grumbled something that was probably a curse, and stared warily at the nipple in question. "...Can you _lick_ that?"

"You just di—haa. Fine, roll over."

"H-Hey!" Sora practically squealed as Riku rolled their bodies over so that he was on top now. Sora pouted. "I was on a roll..."

"Yeah, yeah, but you've still got cold feet."

"Th-That's no reason to switch us!" Sora whimpered. He pouted. "I liked the top..."

"I'm showing you." Riku insisted, running his hands down Sora's sides. Sora moved to protest, but stopped when Riku sucked on a patch of skin at his neck. He didn't know why, but he liked that. So he tilted his head, exposing the flesh to the other, and Riku nibbled and sucked on that spot until Sora was purring for more. He moved downwards over Sora's collarbone, down to his chest, licking and kissing the brunet's scarless skin (save for the thin, ugly slice across his chest). His fingers roamed freely up and down Sora's spine, rubbing his sides and gently squeezing in some areas. Then Riku took a single pink nub between his teeth, tugged lightly, and then he sucked it. And the first thing Sora did was laugh.

"Th-hat feels f-funny," he giggled. Even despite the giggling, however, Sora arched up a little when Riku did that. "Wh-Why do men have nipples?" he suddenly wondered, still snickering. Riku stopped and kissed Sora's chest again.

"Why do women have boobs?" he countered. Sora grumbled something—which neither of them could really decipher, but it sounded like a rebuttal to the derogative comment—and Riku turned his attentions to the other little pink stub, and Sora's giggles melted into silent moans. He found himself twining his fingers through Riku's hair, feeling the soft silvery strands against his palms, surprised at how airy and light it was. Like a halo, almost. _A halo of hair,_ Sora mused. _Yeah, that sounds about right._

Riku kept steadily to the experimental foreplay, until Sora's nipples were wet and red, and then he kissed and nipped the skin in a line down the center of his stomach, reaching behind to grab Sora's butt and squeeze. Sora blushed, but he didn't complain. Everything Riku did to him, he ended up liking, one way or another—he was the one who had much to learn. With this setup, whenever it was Sora's "turn", Riku would constantly (but gently) pass him suggestions, such as, "I like it when you do this..." or, "Hey, why don't you try this...". It made him feel like such an amateur, but at the same time, Sora didn't mind it—because he was getting to know what Riku liked and what Riku didn't like, and that in turn, he thought, was slowly making him better. On the other hand, Sora was just liking everything. Riku needed no directing. Trial and error was all he needed—if Sora gave him a displeased face or muttered an off-handed comment, Riku would switch tactics, and ninety percent of the time, he succeeded in doing the job ten times better.

_It might not be so bad. Being like this. _Sora got this thought often nowadays, and the more it passed by him, the more he considered it. _Maybe. It might not be so bad..._

Then the brunet felt a searing jolt of something run through him, and he yelped—more of a half-moan—managing to crane his head up to see Riku, even though he thought that jolt would make him melt right there. "What are you doing?" he demanded, his voice a little high-pitched. Riku's breath warmed the reacting flesh guarded only by Sora's boxers, and Sora's face was so red, his head might have popped on his shoulders.

"I-I said no sex!"

"It's not sex," Riku argued, "It's foreplay." He sucked through the material the throbbing length beneath, and Sora exhaled sharply, breathed in again, and covered his face in distress. Falling back against the pillows, his entire body shuddered. He wasn't sure what came out of his mouth then, but it was somewhat between a moan and a sob. But why exactly would he think to cry? Because it felt so good, or because Riku was being so overbearing? He didn't know. Sora was having another "in the middle" moment. He felt his breaths becoming more and more like pants under his palms as Riku continued, until finally, the voice of reason cried out from the back edges of his consciousness. That was when he chose the moment to grasp the sheets beneath him and cry: "S-Stop!"

On a dime, Riku stopped. Sora sighed, relieved. His body was still suffering small waves of pleasure centered in his groin. He felt a soothing hand on his chest, and the sensation of Riku's body snaking upwards against his, until the other was on top of him, his back arched ever slightly as he nuzzled Sora's jaw.

"Sorry," he apologized. "Guess I'm just a little selfish."

_A little?_ Thought Sora. _You call that a_ littleAlthough, it seemed that even despite whatever they did, Sora could trust Riku to stop when he said so. He couldn't picture Riku doing something to him that he didn't want. At least, so far it hadn't been that way. Imagining Riku raping somebody was difficult for Sora to do. _Besides, hasn't he already suffered through enough of that?_

Riku reached over and turned off the bedside lamp, immersing them both in darkness and tangles of sheets. Sora blinked, even though he couldn't see.

"Hey...?"

"We've been 'experimenting' for two hours straight. I think we need to stop."

Sora was disappointed. He'd liked where that had been going...

"Okay..." he mumbled. He then said, with more hope than even he liked, "But can we do some more tomorrow?"

Riku sighed and nestled into the sheets beside Sora. "Catch me in a good mood, and we'll see."

Sora frowned. Good mood? Why would Riku be in a _bad_ mood?

"...Hey...Riku? You okay?"

Silence.

"...I don't know," said the teen. "I'm just feeling a little...weird, I guess."

_Hmmm,_ wondered Sora,_ Maybe he's just as offish to this as I am? _That didn't seem very valid, though. If anything, Riku was cool as a cucumber, while Sora was the tense little newbie. He was curious to know why Riku would be feeling off.

Oh, well...he yawned. He was tired, and it _was_ late. Maybe sleep would cure all the problems while he dreamt.


	41. Ch 41: Jack Fell Down, & Jill Came After

**Author's Notes:** So...combining summer vacation with boredom and the anticipation of another Kingdom Hearts game apparently spawns ideas. I must now struggle to push back my urges to write a "KH3 story" (gee, JOIN THE MASSES WHY DON'T I?) and make sure that when I do get to it, I struggle with my efforts to keep Mary-Sue/Gary-Stu moments to a minimum. (shudders) That is _sooo _difficult to do sometimes, especially with OC's, no matter how many guards and charms you put up to defeat the Mary-Sueness. It's likely my story probably follows along with what dozens of people have already been thinking, anyway. But this is aside from the fact that I had an argument with my boyfriend one time that should _not _still be bugging me. He says in his mind that Nobodies represent light. My response was that this was not true, and I asked him how he can _possibly _call Nobodies the light. No one has proven him wrong, he says.

_Kingdom Hearts Universe **Logic**_ has PHYSICALLY STATED that Nobodies are_ **NEITHER **Light **NOR **Dark._ They walk the IN-BETWEEN. _Twilight!_ Riku's wielding! Incomplete! No ruling element! Does this ring any bells? Come on. Maybe I'm just too analytic, but that's the jist I'm getting, and it's what makes the most sense.

Anyway, there's my rant for the day.

I'm personally not at all satisfied with this chapter...urgh. I just don't like the argument here...it...it doesn't..._flow _right, you know? But sadly, there's not much I can do to fix it unless I want to butcher my own story. So, sadly, it's stuck this way. Hopefully it won't make the story lose too much punch, yes?

* * *

Chapter 41

_"Jack Fell Down, and Jill Came After"_

**Tuesday, September Tenth**

**Nineteen Days Missing, and the Day of the Visit  
**

This was it.

Today.

Grievers was visiting _today_.

Cloud fidgeted nervously in his seat, staring at the computer screen. He wasn't feeling at all settled with this. He was not only worried over Grievers coming to visit, but in the chaos of home, work, and Sephiroth combined (arrgh!), it had completely slipped his mind to tell Riku about Grievers coming to get him. Cloud had approached the teen earlier that day before all the kids had gone to school, and told him they had a special visit coming. That was as close as he got to telling him, "Hey, your foster agent's coming to take you back home today! Please don't freak out and have a relapse!".

Riku had given him a suspicious leer at the time, which made Cloud shudder despite himself and rush off to find something to do. Now here he sat in front of his computer, checking his e-mail and trying to calm his nerves. The inbox pinged spam, requests from other companies, feedback, blah, blah, blah...and another letter from Sephiroth. Cloud sighed. _Doesn't he ever give up? _He clicked on the letter to read it.

Then his face went white and his eyes shrank in his skull.

_Ohhhh SHIT._

_

* * *

_

_My Love,_

_I am coming over tomorrow on Tuesday to talk with you. I will arrive at two o'clock sharp. Be ready. This time, I would like answers._

_- Sephiroth_

_

* * *

_

Turning frantic, Cloud checked the clock, and it read one forty-five. He heard the nails screeching on the chalkboard of his mind, and he winced painfully before glaring death at the hand he'd used to pleasure himself the previous night.

_You are a CURSE._

Cloud leapt up from his seat and began to madly pace his room in random patterns, actually able to conjur up the sight of him burning ditches into the floor. He bit on his thumbnail, hissing to himself. Sephiroth wanted to know about Riku and Sora—for whatever reason, with a look in his eyes Cloud didn't trust—and not only that, but Grievers was coming to get them. And Riku didn't know Grievers was coming. Cloud heard himself groaning as he sat down in his computer chair again after several minutes, and held his head in his hands, wailing distraintly.

Nothing else could make this day worse. Nothing. It was ruined.

Not knowing what else he could do, Cloud went to sit down on the living room couch, thinking of how many ways this day could go wrong after two o'clock arrived.

* * *

Leon looked down at the MapQuest directions he'd printed out from the Internet. According to what it said, he was driving to Burmecia into what was clearly white-collar territory. There were houses on this map big enough to span the pad of his thumb. _And he's rich, too? What else hasn't he told me?_ He shrugged mentally, and turned on the next exit towards the city. He supposed he would find out when he got there. 

_Let's see; he's male...he's gay...he's rich...he has a boyfriend...what am I missing?_

Leon couldn't quite put his finger on it, but ever since he'd been voicing Riddlez over chat windows, his voice had sounded _very_ familiar. He knew he had heard it before (and restrained himself from saying so), but he just didn't know where. It seemed like the type of voice he would have heard somewhere very frequently, so surely he could place it to a name he'd heard also; but the name, as well as the face, totally escaped him.

Still...gay, _and_ rich? That was usually a setup for disaster in the high-class societies. Leon wondered how he ever pulled it off. _Probably just has a double-life or something, _he thought. _That's usually how these things play out._

He checked the digital clock on his radio as it cranked out a classic rock station. It read 2:02. He guessed that at the speed he was going, getting through the city and such, he may make it to Riddlez's house by about 2:30, perhaps three if the traffic was bad.

* * *

He didn't like this. Didn't like hearing what was going on upstairs. And Cloud had told him a visitor was coming, with this odd tone in his voice that Riku suspected meant something was going to happen, and that _he_—Riku—would probably not like it. This didn't sit well with him. Eavesdropping at the edge of the basement stairs, he could hear Cloud pleading with his guest (whom Riku had deduced as his boyfriend) about something. Sometimes they passed by the stairs, yet he remained hidden, though he himself was still able to see flashes of Cloud's golden tresses and the insanely long grayed hair of his lover. 

_So, Model Man likes older men,_ Riku mused. He briefly saw the man's face, and he looked at least ten years older, if not twenty._ City people are crazy._

"...I just want to know why you're so fussy over them in the first place!" That was Cloud. "I don't understand, Sephiroth. All you ever want to hear about are those boys. Can't you please tell me what's going on first?"

"Fine," sighed the other impatiently, "I'll tell you. I have a friend who's looking for them, and he wants to know where they are."

"A friend? What do you mean, a friend?"

"It's as I've said. I have a friend who's looking for Riku and Sora."

Sora passed by at this point and stopped, head swiveling around like an owl's. "He said _what_ now?"

Now Riku could feel the blood in his body run cold. He paled, his caribbean eyes turning glassy and weak of will. He knew this feeling all too well, and it scared him. He heard this dodge-bush speak in conversations whenever _Ansem_...when he referred to..._them_.

"I don't see why you'd think I'm keeping them here."

"Cloud, my love, you keep _all_ lost children here. I'm surprised you don't own your own third-world country."

Riku clenched his teeth, to hide his trembling. He thought he would break out in a sweat. _No, not now! He _can't_ come back! God, three weeks, three weeks and everything was perfect! Why does it all have to be ruined now?_ He scuttled back from the stairs, bumping into Sora, his skin cold from fear. Sora could sense his relapse, and he was instantly worried.

"Not only that, if you _hadn't_ been keeping them here, you would have told me who the kids were on the spot, even if I don't usually care about them."

Cloud said nothing to this, because he likely knew it was true. But now both boys could hear the anger in his voice.

"You still didn't answer my question! Who is your friend? What are you trying to do?"

"Riku?" Riku felt Sora's hands squeeze his arm. "Riku...are you okay?"

They missed what name Sephiroth had hissed to Cloud upstairs, but from the outraged response, Riku knew immediately who it was.

"You're friends with that—that _pedophile? _You're supporting a _rapist?_ I can't believe you! What happened to the man I fell in love with?"

"I'm just trying to lend a hand, here. It's not like I'm going to take the poor kid to him. The mother's got a restraining order, for God's sake."

"YOU _SUPPORT_ HIM!" Was the enraged scream that followed. Then Sephiroth yelled something so loud that it scared Sora and he pulled Riku back from the stairs. Riku stumbled along with no will of his own. He fell flat on the carpet, and clutched at his stomach like he was going to throw up, because that was exactly how he felt. There was a _friend_ of _Ansem's_ in this house—that was almost as bad as Ansem himself!

"Riku, what's going on?" Asked Sora. Riku didn't answer. He whimpered slightly, but that was it. Sora shook him. "Riku?" Riku grabbed his hair like he was going to tear it out. Sora required no help in figuring out what was going on—seeing Riku do a retrograde in his mind was all he needed. He gave the teen a hug, rocking him in his arms.

"Calm down. Sshh...come on..."

Riku mumbled something under his breath that sounded like "Ansem", but it could have been anything else related. He was too scared to be angry, but somewhere in the back of his mind, Riku was downright pissed. Cloud had never told him about this, and now someone was coming to pick him up...

_Oh God, what if it's Ansem?_

_

* * *

_

Cloud grit his teeth. Sephiroth was _supporting_ that bastard. He turned around and started to storm for the door. There was no way he was going to let him stay here.

"Cloud, where are you going?"

"Wrong," Cloud hissed. "_You're_ leaving!"

Sephiroth snapped back, "I'm not going anywhere! Let me know where the boys are, then I'll leave!" Cloud wheeled around on his feet and glared death at him.

"How _dare_ you keep asking me the same damn thing! I'm not answering to you, Sephiroth! You're not going to force anything out of me!"

"Cloud, if you don't tell me where they are..."

"You'll what?" The blond snarled. He straightened his shoulders, daring Sephiroth to keep going. Instead of growling his threats, Sephiroth only narrowed his eyes. Cloud hissed and opened the door, but then blinked face-to-face with a tall brunet donning stormy grey eyes. And he blinked right back.

"...Uhh...Riddlez...?"

Cloud paled. Sephiroth was hovering immediately, leering over the blond's shoulder. "Cloud, who is this ruffian?"

Grievers wasn't happy at that. He shot sparks. Cloud swallowed hard.

"Th-This is..."

"Wait a minute—Riddlez, you're _Cloud Strife?_" The man blinked at him in amazement. "You're a _model?_"

Cloud wanted to fling his arms out and slap him, but he settled for turning around in half-circles like a frantic mother and making little noises. Sephiroth crossed his arms.

"Sir, how do you know Cloud?"

Cloud threw a distressed, pleading expression to Grievers, and Grievers didn't listen. "I'm Leon Striker. Cloud and I are friends."

"Friends?"

Leon nodded. "Yes, and I came by to pick up someone."

Sephiroth frowned. "To pick up Cloud?"

The blond shrank back and wished he could vanish. Things couldn't get any worse. He could even hear Riku's silent wails at the bottom of the stairs.

"No, he's keeping two boys here for me. Riku and Sora."

Cloud wanted to shrink back and die. He stepped away, looking pained. Sephiroth glanced at him, and then sneered.

"Ah. _Those_ two. So you were hiding them..."

Cloud could see the confusion on Leon's face. He quickly grabbed him and yanked him into the house, and shut the door.

"Seph, your wanting to tell that friend of yours where they are just proves—"

"Nothing." Sephiroth put his hands on his hips. "I'm surprised you didn't trust me, Cloud."

"And what if he suddenly came by and took them?" snapped the blond. "What then? I'm supposed to think you had nothing to do with it?"

Leon stared at the argument, watching it progress but taking no part.

"You're not helping."

"You're not helping, either!"

"I wasn't going to have anything to do with them—besides—!"

"The more you talk, the more your story falls apart! You're such a bad liar!" Cloud clenched his fists. "You might as well stop talking!" He shook his head, arms flying up. "I don't even _know_ you anymore!" By this point, it was clear Sephiroth was running out of ways to win this, so he bit his lip and settled for changing his angle.

"Cloud, listen to me..."

Cloud hissed, fretful, stressed and upset. "Forget it!" he snarled. "Get out—right now!" He opened the door again and pointed outside. "Out! I have a guest, Sephiroth! I think it'd be best if you took some time off around here."

Leon coiled back half a step, and Sephiroth's eyes widened for a moment. Then, after several seconds, he glared.

"No, perhaps _you_ should take time off," he snarled, before storming out the door and pulling it shut forcefully in his tread.

Cloud braced himself on the door when Sephiroth was gone, head bowed. He had to take several deep breaths to calm down, and silence ensued, except for the fearful whimpers of Riku at the bottom of the basement stairs.

Leon tilted his head and leaned in cautiously, saying, "You going to be okay?"

Cloud just nodded his head, pointing to the basement. "Boys are downstairs," he murmured. Leon didn't ask questions. He didn't need to be told who Sephiroth was in terms of how they were related; he could tell it must have been Cloud's boyfriend. And that Cloud was getting very stressed. So he went over to the basement, and descended the stairs to find Sora hugging the silvery-haired teen who had written backwards on his stomach two years ago.

Sora wasn't sure who he was, but he must have been surprised, because he looked at Leon with a face of great relief. Leon sighed. _Must've thought I was going to be someone scary by what was going on upstairs._

Leon crouched down and gently put a hand on Riku's head. Riku flung his arm out instantly, beating it away, glaring. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH M—" Stopping when he saw it was Leon. His face was just a little bit tear-streaked. Leon put his hand on Riku's head again.

"It's all right." He whispered, "I'm not Ansem."

This must have been news worthy of a Hallelujah chorus to Riku, because in the next instant he flung himself into Leon's arms and squeezed him, a sigh of relief and pure joy escaping him. "Leon!" he cried. The brunet draped an arm around Riku, and Sora still kept his hands around one of Riku's arms. He and Leon faced each other at the same moment.

"I'm Leon Striker, his foster agent."

Sora beamed. "Foster agent? That means you can help us, right?"

But then the older brunet frowned, and shook his head. "Well...I'm not sure. But I can certainly try." He stroked Riku's back, petting him almost. "His mother did most of the work already..."

Riku blinked away his tears. "Mom?" he wondered. He said it with awe. "Mom...what did Mom do?"

"She filed a complaint in court. Ansem is being sued for sexual abuse-slash-child abuse and negligence. She said something about remembering she could see your ribs..."

Riku got a crooked smile on his face, and laughed for the first time that day. "It's because I never took all of his meals. I hated him so much. I hated that house! You don't know how much I wanted to get away..."

"Yes, I do," Leon said, raising an eyebrow. "You took his car and sped out of the driveway to the next city. I think that's proof enough, isn't it?"

* * *

**Author's Notes:** P.S. - I'd just like all of you to know yet again_ how much you've done for me_ and _how great _it is that you guys love this story so much, and that I _encourage _you to continue reading - and that I love you all **_SOOOO_** much for staying with me! Thank you, thank you, thank you, reviewers! You guys are a totally awesome audience! This is by far the longest story I've ever written. My last big project was Enigmatic Man, but that only ended after 28 chapters. This story has now reached almost **_twice_** that amount, and I have _you _guys to thank! So don't poof on me, there's TONS of stuff ahead that I guarantee you won't want to miss! 


	42. Ch 42: Drop the Bomb

**Author's Notes: **Oh my God! It's a long chapter! What a miracle! And I only finished it at 2:30 in the morning! (happy sarcasm) I'm not hyped up on crack and candy, really! (twitch) (reaches for chocolate bar) ...All right, hyped up on candy, sans the crack part. (If I ever smoke pot, I'll hand a gun to somebody and say, "shoot me.")

Someone mentioned Leon's name in the previous chapter...I forget who it was...but yeah, his last name is supposed to be Leonhart. But...that's when he's known as _Squall._ See,_ Leon Leonhart_ doesn't ring all that well, so I took some artistic liberties and slapped a new last name on for him, too. Besides, Leon Striker sounds badass.

I'm glad people didn't hate the last chapter. Thanks for not totally trashing it or whatever. (Not that I expected that...I'm just kidding around!) And now that I've thoroughly frightened myself with scary movies, it's time to sleep with all the lights on and watch some Sensitive Pornograph! Mmm. Uncensored yaoi. Fun fun fun.

By the way, some quick shameless advertising - me and my friend, Lomesir, the one I took with me to Cancun, we're working on a joint fic with the account we share - "Kuja and Lomesir". It's called "Shangri-La" and it's a parody of all things Bish. If you're interested, go take a look. Her writing far exceeds mine in some areas. I'm a bit envious of her.

* * *

Chapter 42

_"Drop the Bomb"_

He'd expected there may be a few kids, but _twenty?_ When they all came swarming in, Leon could hardly believe his eyes, and he turned to Cloud with slightly wide grey pupils, saying, "How do you _live_ with them all?"

Cloud shook his head silently. His eyes were dull and his posture was a little slumped. It was clear that he was pretty rattled after the encounter between him, Leon, and his boyfriend. Sora and Riku watched from the couch as seventeen kids rushed in, plus Seifer, Fuujin, and Raijin, accounting for twenty. Cloud bit his lip as they started to hug him and he weakly hugged back.

"Okay, kids..." he whistled when speaking didn't work. He had to get Seifer's aid in order to quiet them all. "Come on, guys. I'm sorry to do this to you, but it would _really_ help right now if all of you went downstairs. All right?"

"Awwwww!" whined the children. Cloud shook his head, his hands up in a truce-like fashion.

"As you can see, I have a guest over, and this is very important. It's about Riku and Sora."

Zidane frowned. "Are they leaving?"

Cloud sighed, shaking his head and gesturing the little group to the stairs. "Come on, to the basement, all of you. Homework Hour the minute you find a place to sit, understand?"

Several pouts and boos rose up from the children, but Seifer and Raijin silenced them all and ushered them down. Fuujin descended with them, after pausing to stare Leon in the face. Leon turned a bit cold under her leering gaze, and blinked.

"...Hm." She mumbled, vanishing down the steps.

When things were empty on that floor again, Cloud breathed deeply, then turned to Leon. "So," he said, his voice a bit flat, "Do you want something to drink?"

Leon shrugged. He wasn't thirsty, but he wanted to be polite. "Just water is fine."

* * *

Half an hour later, Riku and Sora were snuggled on one couch end while Leon sat on the other, and Cloud was in a lazy chair drinking hazelnut-flavored coffee. Leon hadn't touched the water.

"...And that's how things are right now where I am." Leon glanced at Riku. "His mother already filed the court case. All they need is for Riku to come back. She was hoping to find him without getting the police more involved, and I happened to talk to her shortly before you told me they were here. I thought I might save everyone the trouble and pick them up."

Riku was glaring unhappily at him. "You're taking me back," he hissed. Sora was hugging his arm.

"Riku," he said gently, "Come on...it's not like he'll take you back to Ansem..."

Riku slammed his glass of fruit punch down. "No. Just back within reach of him!"

Leon expected this would happen. Cloud didn't look very surprised, either.

"Tifa—your mother—is also going to file for a restraining order. She's demanding that Ansem stay away from you at a one-hundred foot radius all around."

The silver-haired teen snarled. "What difference does it make? He violates things all the time! Look at me! I'm proof of it!"

"He'll have someone of police authority monitoring him at all times. If he breaks the restraining order, he'll spend his time in a jail cell or something."

"So let him rot in jail! Let him get raped in the Shower Hour, see how _he_ likes it when someone fucks him up _his_ virgin ass."

"Riku, I have children downstairs," Cloud hissed in warning. "And not all of them are listening to their iPods." Meanwhile, Sora was blushing the nicest shade of red, and was still clinging to Riku, who snorted and leaned back in the couch where he sat.

"You can't make me go back there."

"Oh, yes I can," argued Leon. "I'm calling your mother and we're leaving as soon as possible. She'll give me the address to her own house, and that's where I'll be taking you."

"What about Sora?" Riku growled. "Is Sora coming with me?"

"Sora will go back to his own family."

Riku sat up sharply. "Are you _serious?_ You _do_ know Ansem tried to rape him, too, right? That's too dangerous! I won't let you do it!"

"I'm sure Sora's mother can file for a restraining order, also. Right now, Riku, you're going to have a lot more on your plate than just Sora. You should worry about yourself and about what's going to happen in the court room."

"Why, because Ansem's going to sue me? That's bullshit!"

"Riku!"

Riku flipped Cloud the middle finger and kept going. Leon rolled his eyes when he saw it. "He can't frickin' sue me. I'm seventeen! I've got one more year to tack off on my life before I'm considered an adult. So he can go screw himself!"

Cloud sighed, shuddering. He really wished Riku would take consideration for the children. Here he was trying to be the parent, and Riku was hardly listening to him. Just like all teenagers. Although, even Zidane wasn't this bad, and that kid was a budding little thief.

"You can't stay here, Riku." said Leon gently. "You're probably going to get a subpoena in the mail. You're going to have to go to court."

"I'm not leaving Sora vulnerable, and I'm not going back until I'm sure both of us are gonna be safe!" Riku glared at Leon sternly. "So unless you tell me that's going to happen, you're not getting anything out of me."

Here Sora piped up, "Er, I'm sure that I'll be fine."

"You're not fine until Ansem's dead or rotting," Riku growled, turning and giving Sora a sharp, reprimanding stare. "Believe me."

"I do believe you, Riku." Sora nodded his head. "And I know what I'm up against now, too. I'll be careful, really." He tried to cheer Riku up with his smile. "You should let Leon take you to your Mom's house. You'll be safe there."

Riku frowned, his expression turning from anger to concern. He shook his head. Sora hugged his arm, looking up at him, chin on his shoulder.

"Come on. Are you still that scared?"

"He's dangerous, Sora, even if he is under watch."

"You're still scared of him."

"_Hell_ yes, I'm scared of him!" cried Riku, pushing Sora off of him. "Aren't you?"

Sora paused. "...Well...I probably am. But if I stay here, he'll _know_ I'm scared. That'd just make him think he's still in power, right?"

Cloud and Leon glanced at each other and exchanged their stares. They seemed to wordlessly agree on the astonishing way this boy could nail things right on the head, and still act so clueless. They turned their attention to Riku. The teen was silent, gazing at Sora with the same sort of awe they'd just been feeling.

Riku frowned again, creasing his brow and chewing on his bottom lip. "Mmm..." he growled.

Leon sighed and drank from his glass of water for the first time since he'd gotten it.

"I'll tell you what," he said. "Since this is a friend's house I'm visiting, I won't be leaving until late this evening. You make up your mind then. And when I say that, I mean preparing yourself to leave."

Cloud sipped from his coffee, then blinked. "Actually, you could stay the night here—"

"You mean you can _feed_ me?"

Cloud groaned. "I'm too tired to cook. I'm thinking we'll just get take-out."

Some children hissed, "Yessss!" downstairs.

"Besides," the blond continued, "I figure you've been driving since early this morning, and if you leave Burmecia at night, the traffic's a nightmare. There's a lot of raging night life here. It gets tedious during the day, but evenings are unbearable. You'd be better off leaving early tomorrow."

Leon hadn't been counting on this. His brow quickly creased and his frown deepened. Cloud sat up. "It's up to you. If you want to drive during the worst of the traffic, I won't stop you."

Riku looked like he was hoping Leon would take the bait. Leon turned his eyes to him for a moment, then he shook his head and sighed.

"I suppose that works. I'm tired of driving, anyway."

Leon didn't miss the way Riku then grabbed Sora's arm and held it, and had a winning smirk on his face. _Yeah, laugh it up, _he grumbled mentally. But, in his mind, he was also smiling. _Cheeky little bastard._

"So, you _won't_ take me back today." Riku said haughtily. Leon stared at him full in the face.

"Don't get cocky. You're still coming with me tomorrow morning, both you and Sora. I'm going to let your mother know I found you." He paused, then pulled out his cell phone. "If you'd like, when I give her a call, you can talk to her."

Riku's eyes glazed for a minute. Then he nodded. "I wanna talk to her."

Cloud sipped from his coffee lazily as Sora held onto Riku the way the other held onto him, and Leon dialed Tifa's number. Then he handed the phone to Riku, and he took it like a gift from Heaven.

"Tell her you'll be home sometime tomorrow afternoon."

" 'Kay." Riku cradled the phone against his ear and stood up, walking around the room. Cloud and Leon started talking to each other, and Sora joined in, while Riku spoke: "Mom?...Yeah. It's me... ...Yes, I'm fine..."

* * *

He turned on the spray of the water and immediately thrust his head under the hot shower, wetting his blond hair and letting his skin get covered in little running droplets and rivers. Sighing, Cloud reached for the body wash and squeezed a generous amount into a washcloth, lathering it up and running it over his tired muscles. It was eleven forty-six, and he couldn't sleep. Showers wouldn't help it, but it still made him feel better.

_Sephiroth probably fired me._ He thought. The idea made Cloud shut his eyes and made his chest ache. _The children...I'll have to give them back to all the places I got them from._ Cloud felt a headache forming. He thought about selling his house, but even then, supporting twenty children would be difficult, and it was the least practical thing to do. He either sold everything he owned, or he got rid of the children...yet in all practical senses, he may end up doing both all the same. Cloud bit his lip, and leaned back against the wall of his shower.

_I've let them down._ He watched the water trickle down his body, fixated on the way it fell. Falling—he would be doing a lot of that soon. _I'll be blacklisted. If I'm not good enough for the best, I'm not good enough for anyone. That's how this city works. I've seen it. Relena..._

Briefly, Cloud remembered a woman with slicked blond hair that had two antenna-like protrusions. Her name was Relena Sykes, but her modeling alias had been "Larxene." Sephiroth had hired her at one point, during the time Cloud had been around. But she'd been tough to deal with, and while she was beautiful and sold for the women's line of clothes, she was just too pig-headed and had made a servant out of everyone. Sephiroth fired her six months after her employment. She'd been dropped so hard and so fast; Cloud never saw her working for anyone else after that. Sephiroth was currently one of the top dogs when it came to models and industry. If you didn't make a cut in _his_ pie, you weren't fit for this world.  
So, this was it, then. His life on a downhill plunge. He wondered how he was going to deal with it. Somehow, Cloud wasn't surprised. He'd been living life like a balance beam ever since he graduated high school. One risk after another—snatching chances, passing them by, giving them away—sometimes he fell, sometimes he climbed. This was just another descending from the skies. Eventually, he'd get back up on his feet...

But Cloud wasn't sure how fast he'd get back up this time.

Opening his eyes again (he never remembered closing them), Cloud exhaled and turned off the water, tossing his still-soapy rag to the side and toweling off. He then pulled on a bathrobe, and wandered downstairs into the kitchen. Leon was asleep on the couch with blankets piled over him, his head resting on a throw pillow. Cloud frowned. He'd offered him the bed, but Leon had refused. He'd left Leon to claim the couch, but he still thought he should have taken the bed. Now Cloud felt sorry that there were no other guest rooms left. Ah, well—can't be helped.

He didn't turn the light on in the kitchen, mostly because he didn't want to wake Leon, but went to quick work by the moonlight outside fixing a hot cup of tea. He did it the quick way, not using the microwave: just turning the tap water to hot and filling his mug, then dropping an herbal tea bag into it. He let it soak for several minutes, looking out the window as the scent of honey and chamomile started to waft up to his nose.

Several moments of silence overtook him, and Cloud's brow creased in worry as he gazed up at the crescent moon. He gripped the sink's edge just a little bit tighter, breathing the chamomile scent deeply and sensing the honeyed undertaste.

Then he heard a cupboard open and shut, and he gasped, whirling around. Leon stared at him with calm grey eyes, holding up a glass.

"Thirsty," he said.

Cloud's eyes rolled up a little as he closed them and sighed, his shoulders dropping with the motion. He opened them again and glared at Leon. "Don't _scare_ me like that."

"Can't sleep?"

He sighed again. "No." Cloud reached for his tea, squeezing out the last remnants of the tea bag itself before tossing it and then swirling the liquid itself around in his mug. "I can't stop thinking."

"Sure you can," replied Leon, filling his glass halfway with cold water. Cloud grumbled.

"Clearly, you've never had a job that weighs on your love life."

"Clearly, he was the wrong boss to sleep with," said the other calmly. Cloud made an indescribable face, but it was probably frustration as he sipped his tea. He hated to say it, but Leon was right.

"Any boss is the wrong boss to sleep with," sighed Cloud. "Sephiroth's just worse than most, I guess."

Leon swallowed a big gulp of water and glanced at the blond sideways. "You mean because he snoops around and says things that rub you the wrong way?"

Cloud snorted, looking at him. "You're even more cynical in real life than you are online. I never thought that possible."

"Well, you've never met me in person before." Leon drank more water.

Growing distanced, Cloud gazed down at the liquid in his mug. He could see his reflection in it. He stared intently at it, and then he let out another heavy breath, swirling the tea in his cup.

"I'll probably have to sell the house," he murmured quietly. "The kids will have to go back to the orphanages and agencies they came from. Then I'll spend the next several years of my life sponging off some poor sap while my bank money runs low." He dropped his eyes. "It'll be a while before I get up on my feet again."

"Why do you keep so many of those brats?" Leon asked. "I mean, I don't mind kids, but a zoo of them in my house would drive me insane."

Cloud drank more of his tea. "...I guess..." he paused, looking up at the ceiling. "...I guess I felt like...I don't know. That I had to."

Leon blinked. "You..._had_ to?"

The blond shrugged. "I don't know how to describe it. I just felt like I had something to give back to these kids. Seifer was my first; I found him wandering around in a nearby neighborhood, and about a week later, there he was on my doorstep. That was right around the time my career was just kicking off. The Christmas season about four years ago." Cloud sipped his drink. "Most of the children who live here are like that. Orphans from orphanages, fosters from various companies, and some are runaways—Zidane fled an abusive home, and his brother Kuja still works in the red light district—poor guy. I'm a little sad he never got a hold of Kuja again."

"So, in other words, you're just weird."

Cloud paused, then cracked into a smile and chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose."

Leon finished off his water, and quietness stilled the air again. He watched Cloud for a while, and the blond only idly sipped his drink.

"You have a lot of sympathy for them, don't you?"

More silence. Leon didn't mind it, and neither did Cloud, and yet it still felt awkward.

"...When I was little...my parents..." the blond sighed. "My father did some things that were pretty underhanded, and this guy he crossed got pretty angry. One night, my Mom grabs me and shoves me in the closet when she's putting me to bed, and I hear gunshots..."

Leon's expression changed only slightly. His eyes seemed to soften and his frown deepened, and his brow creased in hopes of giving his own sympathy.

"...The next time that door opened, I saw their bodies, and a family friend took me into her orphanage." Cloud paused. As if it were an afterthought, he said as he sipped his tea, "Since then, I've hated closed spaces."

The brunet wasn't quite sure what to say at that point. "I'm sorry" was too tacky; it didn't quite seem to cut it. But he didn't exactly want to pour his heart out.

When Cloud heard no response, he smiled sadly and put his mug down. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shared that with you, you must feel pretty awkward."

Leon turned his eyes away then, realizing he'd been staring at the other for longer than even he felt comfortable with, and sighed. "If you like kids so much, why don't you find a job as a foster agent? That's what I do."

Cloud smirked. "It's a good idea, but it's not the best one."

"And why's that?"

"Because I wouldn't be the one taking care of them," said Cloud. He drank the last of his honey-chamomile tea, and set the mug down in the sink. "If I'm not the one adopting them, then I don't want to work there."

"Then you can come stay at my place," said Leon. He blinked, then frowned. _Where did _that_ come from? _He wondered. He added quickly, so he didn't sound too eager, "Since, you know, you tell me you don't have many friends."

Cloud chuckled, looking at Leon with warm greenish eyes. "Thank you for the offer, but I wouldn't want to crowd you. I only just met you."

_But you didn't just meet me, _thought the brunet, _You met me three years ago. Just not in person..._

"Besides," Cloud insisted, "I have a couple of friends in town who wouldn't mind sharing the house with me for a little while while I'm an unemployed bum. One of them's an accountant, and the other's just good at lazing around. But he works at a shooting gallery."

"Who are your friends?" asked Leon. To which Cloud replied:

"Reno and Rufus."

Leon fell silent. He turned then, and pushed himself away from the counter. "It sounds like you have everything planned."

Cloud frowned. "...You know, I really wish you'd take the bed."

"It's not my bed to take," said Leon. "Goodnight, Riddlez."

The blond's frown deepened. "...And you can call me Cloud."

Leon smirked. "I'll call you Cloud when you stop calling me Grievers."

The blond blinked his eyes, and then it dawned on him that he hadn't called Leon by his real name once all day. His cheeks turned red, and he groaned, chewing on his bottom lip. Now he felt embarrassed. _It would have helped if he'd pointed it out to me,_ he thought. _Then again, I guess I'm a moron for not realizing it myself._

_

* * *

_

Sora nestled back against Riku's body as the other held him in his arms, the both of them under the covers.

"You're sure you'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine, Riku. I promise." Sora turned around so he could face him, and smiled. "Trust me, I can take care of myself. Besides, everyone's worried about me. They need to know I'm okay."

Riku frowned. "Sora, I'm scared to let you out of my sight right now. If he gets near you..." Sora glared at him. For once, Riku feared that glare. "...Er...you just...give me a call, and I'll come running, okay?"

That answer pleased Sora more than the one Riku had planned. The brunet smiled at him and sighed, nuzzling his neck. "Good," he purred.

The silver-haired teen sighed and ruffled Sora's hair slightly, kissing his forehead. "Sora..."

"Yeah?"

Riku fell quiet. It was now or never. But he wasn't sure if it was the right time...

"...I love you."

He didn't hear a response. In fact, he didn't hear one for a while. Riku blinked.

"Sora?"

More quiet.

"...S...Sora?"

...Light snoring.

Riku blinked again several times, and then he rolled his eyes upward, groaning. _Great. I pick the time to tell him, and the little bastard falls asleep on me._ He sighed. _Oh, well...I'll try again later._

He kissed Sora's lips gently, and stroked the brunet's cheek. "Goodnight, Sora. Sleep well." Riku wrapped his arms protectively around Sora and fell asleep soon after, his head pillowed just above Sora's as they shared similar dreams.


	43. Ch 43: Coming Home

**Author's Notes:** So, we're on the final two chapters of Part Two. Hold on to your hats, people! It's comin' to an end!

P.S. - Don't think I've been ignoring any certain little Lulu requests...

* * *

Chapter 43

_"Coming Home"_

She was staring at him, and her eyes were hard and angry, and her fists were balled and clenched, the shadow of her twin standing behind her with an uncertain look on her face. He looked behind him, and Riku was there, and the same kind of rage was in his eyes, too—not as fearsome as it had been with Ansem, but still very scary.

Sora looked between the two of them, his hands bound in cuffs. The house didn't look right and there were broken teacups on the floor. The closet was open, and Hayner was staring at them from inside it between the coats. He gave Sora a thumbs-up.

"It's great to be out of the closet!" he insisted. Sora stumbled left and right until he'd fallen on his butt. He heard a slap, and his cheek stung, but he didn't remember being hit. Yet Kairi's hand was raised up in the air, like the sword of a wicked Amazon, ready to strike him again.

"Don't _hit_ him, _bitch!_" Sora looked up to be level with Riku's face again, and he realized the other had pulled him up and that he was standing again. But Riku's eyes were not fixed on him, they were intently carving holes into Kairi, and she screamed something Sora couldn't remember hearing. It sounded like something along the lines of, "LIAR!" or "CHEATER!". Tears streamed down her face in salty rivers. She looked sad.

Then Kairi tried to say something to Riku, and Riku lashed out with nails as long as Kairi's and scratched her across the face. In reality, this would have left nothing but a stinging across her cheek; but here, the skin was suddenly ripped off and she gave a bloodcurdling scream, clutching at her face and worsening the bloody scratch wounds with her own claws. Behind Kairi, Naminé drew back and cowered, but she looked at Sora with eyes that were understanding and calm.

_It's a cat fight,_ thought Sora.

There was a wound inflicted on Kairi, but Riku's hand bore no blood. His nails were clean. Sora followed behind him as Riku dragged him up the stairs into a part of the house he never remembered seeing. Along the way, a woman with long brown hair smiled at them.

"Welcome home, Riku."

_I'm in Riku's house? _Sora remembered wondering. He said it aloud, but nobody seemed to hear him. The woman was soon behind them, and as Riku took him into a strange room he wasn't familiar with, she called, "Remember to be gentle with him!"

Riku closed the door behind them. Sora briefly heard himself noting that it was nighttime. Riku turned him around so Sora was facing him, and he said, "Let me get those off for you." Riku somehow removed the cuffs around Sora's wrists; then he took Sora's hands and placed them on his chest. Sora looked up into his eyes, and Riku stared back at him.

"Do you love me, Sora?"

Sora said nothing. He wasn't sure what to say. But Riku smiled at him anyway.

"It's okay. Your expression says it all."

_It...does?_ Sora didn't know now if he was frowning or smiling, but it felt like a little bit of both. He tilted his head, and stood up slightly on his toes to kiss Riku—he was a little taller than he remembered.

Riku kissed him back and drew him into a hug. It was a very passionate kiss. Suddenly there was a jump, and they weren't wearing any clothes. Sora looked down at Riku underneath him, his face flushed red, mouth open as he panted, his eyes glazed and yet not, gazing at him intently as if saying, "You're beautiful." They rolled over, and Sora could hear his own moans as well as Riku's, both of them resonating and building. He felt something fill him, and a great warmth burst in his chest and spread throughout his body, tensing up in one spot and spilling through him all at once. All he remembered was that warmth. His eyes were open the whole time, and Riku was above him, moving up and down, his moans louder than Sora's and making a stronger impression. Sora murmured something to him and felt a centering heat in his groin, making him blush.

Then there was a _thump,_ and he rolled out of bed, which jolted him awake.

Sora gasped and fumbled with the covers before managing to kick them off, and sat up straight. He looked around him, frowning, and then he scratched his head. _What a weird dream._

He heard the shower running in the bathroom. Riku must have gotten up before him. The brunet sighed, and stood up to fix the sheets. Right as he was in the middle of doing so, he looked down and noticed a very conspicuous tent between his legs in his boxers. Sora blushed and clapped his hands down over it, moaning. _I hate that dream! _He grumbled. And it had been with Riku, no less...

Sora groaned and sat down on the edge of the bed, covering his embarrassment with his hands and the sheets. When Riku got out of that shower, he was going to grab it and snatch the cold water. He really, really needed it.

* * *

The blond blearily blinked his eyes, squinting at the empty room. He sighed and checked his watch. It was nine o'clock. Must have slept through breakfast. The kids were going to be pretty mad at him for that.

Cloud sighed and nestled under the blankets again. He nudged his head against the pillow, but paused and realized it wasn't as soft as his bed pillows.

That was when he sat up and realized he was on the couch.

_...Did I...fall asleep down here?_ Cloud scratched his head, frowning. _Well, it wouldn't be the first time it happened...but hadn't Grievers been sleeping down here?_ Cloud blinked. He shook his head and winced. _Leon! __**Leon!** Call him Leon..._

He mumbled something and pushed the blankets off. He was still in his bathrobe, he realized, and the front was more open than he like. He grumbled and fixed it, so that it was properly tied up and closed, and then headed for the kitchen. Bumping into a certain older brunet.

"Ah...! G-Good morning!" He stuttered, laughing with a crooked smile. "I guess I slept in a little, huh?"

Leon shrugged. There was a mug of coffee in his hand from which he sipped idly.

"I, ah...hope I didn't take your spot or anything last night..."

"You dozed off in the chair. I moved you to the couch because I figured it would be more comfortable."

Cloud frowned. "You didn't have to do that..." he tilted his head. "And where did you sleep last night, anyway, after that?"

Again, the brunet shrugged. "I took up the offer with your bed. It was very comfortable, by the way." Cloud blinked at him, and then he rubbed his eyes.

"M...Mmm." He grunted.

Leon paused, and then nudged his head in the direction of the kitchen. "I made a pot of coffee in there. Hope you don't mind. I found the creamer, too."

"Oh, is there any left?" Cloud peered around Leon, covering his mouth as he yawned. Coffee was sounding really good right about now.

"Plenty. Still hot, if you want to get some."

Cloud rubbed his eyes again, sighing. "Sure. Thanks." He let his arm fall, and suddenly the robe slipped, exposing his right shoulder and part of his chest. Cloud and Leon both stared at it for a moment. The blond frowned and fixed it, thinking, _Why doesn't this fit me well? My other one fits me just fine._

He walked past Leon, then stopped and turned around. "Oh! By the way, were you awake when the kids got ready for school?"

"Yes," groaned Leon, not sounding too happy about it. "They woke me up. That Seifer kid you talked about took care of it. They were off safe and sound."

Cloud breathed relief. "Good," he murmured. "I didn't mean to sleep in that late..." _Must come with being unemployed. I'll probably do that a lot in the future._

"Well, thanks, anyway."

"Sure." Leon said, drinking his coffee as he went to sit down on the couch. Cloud grabbed a mug from one of the cupboards—a mug one of the children had given him a few years ago. It had a childish picture of a ship on it and stick figures waving to the dolphins. The one with spikes of yellow on its head was him, and all the others were the numerous children he cared for. It had been a Father's Day gift. Cloud remembered thinking how nice it would be to go on a cruise when he'd gotten it. He still found him wondering if there would ever be some way he'd be able to go to the Caribbean or something. That would be a nice break...

He felt a little depressed as he made his coffee. He was going to go check his e-mail, and he'd probably find a letter telling him he would receive his stuff on his front doorstep in a few days, or to come pack it up and take it. Not that there was much to take. Cloud's room in the agency had always been pretty empty because he never kept much there. _Well, at least I won't have to deal with the elevator anymore. _As Cloud stirred the hazelnut creamer into his coffee, the shoulder of his robe slipped again. He groaned and fixed it.

_Why doesn't this fit me? _He seemed to know the reason for it, but he couldn't think of it...

Then it dawned on him. Cloud blinked as he recalled it clear as day.

_Oh, that's right..._ Sephiroth had given him this robe. He'd mistaken Cloud's clothing size by a slight margin, and it was custom-made. He never really did toss it in the wash to shrink it a little. At the time, he'd been too afraid that he'd ruin it.

Funny...now all he wanted to do was make it _too_ small, so that he wouldn't wear it anymore.

Cloud heard a conversation starting in the other room. "Good morning, Riku."

"Mmrr."

"Morning, Mister Striker!"

"So, Riku, are you ready to go home?"

"...I guess so. Mom said she's waiting for me."

In the living room, Leon nodded approvingly. "We'll leave in an hour. Is that all right with you?"

"Whatever."

"Cloud?" Sora looked into the kitchen. "Good morning! Um, hey, can I use your phone to call _my_ Mom?"

Sipping his coffee, Cloud gestured to the phone in the kitchen. "By all means."

"Thanks!" Sora went for it and dialed his house, hoping his mother wasn't too distraught by now. And maybe he'd call Kairi later, too.

Riku watched him and crossed his arms, frowning.

Maybe it was just him, but he still wasn't comfortable with leaving Sora in his own house.

* * *

Hours later after driving, It was four o'clock and Sora and Riku were in front of Tifa's apartment. Leon unbuckled and got out, and Riku and Sora followed. Before they could even make it to the door, out came Tifa, wearing a creamy blue blouse and a long white skirt with a crimped look to it. Riku froze only for a moment before his feet picked up their pace, and he rushed into his mother's open arms with the zeal of a ten-year-old. 

Tifa embraced her son and held him tightly.

"Mom," Riku breathed.

"Welcome home, Riku," Tifa sighed, stroking his hair and holding him close. Sora smiled at the sight. He could tell that Riku was happy.

Tifa huffed and held her son at arm's length, looking down at him with a wide smile, teardrop-shaped pearls dangling from her ears. "You won't have to worry anymore, baby. We're going to beat this guy in court. All I have to do is call a lawyer!"

Riku's smile faded. "Mom...are you sure we'll win?"

"What a stupid question! Of course we'll win! I'm going to make sure of it. I'll get us the best lawyer I can find. Oh, and, you won't have to worry about that bastard hurting you." She grinned. "I slapped a restraining order on him. He can't come within one hundred feet of you in a radius."

Riku drew back and waved to the two behind him. "Mom, this is Leon, and Sora."

"I've met Leon before," Tifa said. She glanced at the younger brunet. "Sora, however, I have not." She smiled at him. "I'm Tifa Lockheart."

When she thrust her hand out to him, Sora nodded and took it, and they shook hands. "It's good to meet you, Mrs. Lockheart." He smiled back at her.

"So, you're the one Riku ran off with, eh?"

Sora laughed nervously. "Uh...yeah."

Tifa smirked, bending down a little. "Well, you watch yourself. I'm thinking my boy's more interested in you than he'd like to admit..." she winked at him, and glanced over her shoulder at Riku. "Riiight?"

Riku groaned. "Moooom, cut it out." She laughed and stood up straight.

"Oh, Riku, I have a guest over, I hope you don't mind. I think you'll like her. She's a good friend of mine. Her name is Aeris."

"Someone called?" A woman with lighter brown hair than Tifa's poked her head out. She was wearing a long pink dress and her hair was up in a twisting sort of ponytail. She had a very kind face, and a sweet smile. "You must be Riku," she said, looking at him and nodding. "I'm Aeris..."

"Yeah, Mom told me." She held her hand out to him, and Riku shook it. "It's nice to meet you."

"Well, I won't want to keep you. I know Sora's family must be worried sick."

"We ought to get going," Leon agreed, speaking for the first time. Tifa smiled.

"Hey, Sora, if you need anything—anything at all—you give me and Riku a phone call, okay? Here, I'll give you the number." Tifa went in and fetched a pen and paper, and jotted it down, ripping the paper out of the notepad and handing it to the younger brunet. Sora pocketed it with a thank-you.

"I'm sure Riku would love to hear from you."

Riku suddenly gave Sora a very solemn glance. "Please stay in touch," he said quietly. Sora gave him a reassuring smile.

"How about I call you tomorrow?" he asked. "Maybe in the afternoon if I don't go back to school right away."

The silver-haired teen gazed at him, and still looked rather sad when he nodded. Then they all exchanged goodbyes, and Leon took Sora back to his car to drive him home. Tifa's house was actually not much more than fifteen minutes away...that was the first thing Sora noticed as he gave directions to the streets that led to his cul-de-sac.

The instant Sora got home, and was at the door, Lisa opened it up and screamed joyously, dragging her son into a tight hug. "Soraaa!" she cried, her eyes a little red. She must have been sobbing earlier. "Oh, honey! You're home! Praise the Lord!"

"BIG BROTHERRRR!" Selphie's squeals reverberated upstairs and she stomped down like an elephant before tackling him, while he was still being hugged by his mother. Sora laughed.

"I missed you guys," he said.

"I was so scarrrreeed!" Selphie whined. Lisa showered Sora's face with kisses.

"Oh, my baby! You're okay! I've never been as happy as I am now!" She kissed his lips like a mother does her son. "Don't worry, honey, I'll cook you your favorite meal tonight! I'll run out and get the groceries and we're going to have a big welcome-home meal!"

Sora began to see more faces popping up. His father came in and swept him up into a tighter hug than his mother had given him.

"Sora, you crazy kid! I was worried stiff!"

"I-I'll bet," grunted Sora, laughing as he hugged him back. "I missed you too, Dad." At that point, Lisa rushed up to Leon and began to incessantly thank him for bringing Sora back to them, while Sora was put down on the ground again.

"Hey, Dad, can I call—WHOA!" Sora stumbled as someone with auburn hair tackled him and squeezed him around his middle. Sora grunted. "W-Waah! I'm falling!"

"Sora!"

He blinked. "Kairi?"

Kairi looked up at him with the biggest smile on her face, and she radiated happiness. "I'm so glad you're okay, Sora!" She squeezed him harder and pressed up against him. Sora blushed. He could feel her boobs squishing against his chest. A little overwhelmed by all the hugs, he just returned the love and wrapped his arms around her. But he was smiling all the while.

"When did you get here?" He asked.

"A while ago! We wanted to stay here until you came back!" Kairi shook her head and nuzzled against him. "Oh, Sora, it's a miracle! We were so upset!"

Suddenly Sora got hugged by another female. He had to spread his arms wider to welcome Naminé into the embrace, and he exchanged greetings with her, too. Somewhere in the madness and rejoicing, Leon left without a word, seeing that Sora was busy with his friends and family. Not more than five minutes after that, two certain blonds burst into the room.

"Don't close the door!" Tidus cried, shoving past Lisa and the front door. Sora turned around, and his eyes widened.

"Tidus!"

"My MAN!" cried the blond, running up and wrapping a brotherly arm around Sora and slapping his back. Sora returned it and was laughing now. "Aw man, Sora, I'm SO SORRY! For everything! It's totally my fault! I never should've involved you!"

"Whaddya mean, involved him?" growled Kairi, putting her hands on her hips. Sora smiled crookedly.

"I-It's all right, Kairi." He told her, turning back to Tidus. "I forgive you, Tidus. It wasn't anybody's fault. Nobody could've predicted that."

"You're still not gonna make 'im feel any better!" Snickered Roxas. Tidus glared at him, but he continued. "He's been babbling all about you for the past three weeks. Couldn't stop worryin'. I'll bet his grades probably dropped because he was so busy lookin' out his window wondering when you'd be back." Sora and Roxas grinned at each other, and exchanged high-fives before clashing their forearms together. Something Roxas taught him that was a "secret handshake."

"You're the talk of the school, dude!"

"Yeah, you and Riku both," added Tidus.

"I'm sure." Sora nodded, agreeing with the statement. "So I guess I'll have to settle a lot of rumors when I go back?"

"God, you'd better be ready for it." Tidus groaned. "You're gonna be swamped. You'll be popular for a really long time, I can tell you that much."

Kairi wound her arms around Sora again. Sora frowned for a moment, but he quickly hid it and held her with an arm around her shoulders. Inside his head, though, he was feeling really strange. Suddenly, coming back and being here, he wasn't as comfortable with Kairi. Not that he didn't want to be with her, but he just wasn't feeling...drawn to her...anymore. It felt weird.

"Hot damn! It's a house party in here!"

Sora turned around and gasped, startled. "Holy crap! Hayner!"

The blond grinned and crossed his arms. "How you been, man?"

"I thought you were enrolling for the military!"

"Yeah, well," Hayner rolled his eyes, "Them pricks is nasty an' rude, couldn't stand a minute of 'em. So I decided I'd check in on you instead."

Why did Sora have a feeling that wasn't the total truth? Maybe it was the way Hayner said it. His mind paused.

_Wait a sec...Hayner!_

Maybe Hayner could help him with something.

Sora grinned and gave Hayner a rough hug, which Hayner returned. "I'm glad to see you again, Hayner. I haven't seen you in forever!"

"Yeah, I know, dejà vu, right?" Before Sora pulled back, though, he whispered to him quickly, "I need to talk to you about something."

Hayner frowned. "When?" he asked.

"Later." Was all Sora said before he drew away and was grinning like he always did.

"Guys," he said, looking at all of them, "It's great to be home."


	44. Ch 44: Connections

**Author's Notes:** A very short final chapter, but here it is. A last few bits of confusion before things are finally settled in Part Three!

By the way, guys, here's a challenge for you.

Like to draw? If you do, I'm opening up a contest to all of my readers. I'm totally bored during this summer vacation and I need something to do! So give me some inspiration. Send me your fanart depicting one of your favorite moments in this fic. It's open all throughout Part Three, and it ends when we reach the final five chapters of the story. Sorry, no multiple entries - so if you want to participate, pick and choose and draw as best you can!

The prize for this little contest is a fully drawn, colored, and inked picture of a main pairing from this fic, drawn by me. (that means Riku/Sora, Leon/Cloud, or Ansem/Riku, if you're feeling dirty. But I'll bet nobody's going to jump at that chance, eh?) You choose the pairing, and I'll send the picture to the winner by e-mail in the final chapter of the fic. The winner will be announced in the second to last chapter. ALSO, the winner of the contest will unlock a bonus lemon scene that will be posted on my LiveJournal. Everyone will be open to read it after the final chapter. That's just a gift not only to the winner, but to everyone who participated!

If your interested, send in your drawings! You've got plenty of time to cook up your stuff, and it makes things a little more fun. Don't be afraid to show off your talent, either. The more you send in, the better I write. Call it energy food for my Muse.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, START YOUR IMAGINATIONS!

**Edit: **Some questions came to my attention that I think I should answer.

1) Yes, you send it to me by e-mail. Just attach the picture and ping! Up it pops in my inbox. My e-mail should be in my profile on this website.

2) Yes, if you participate you still get to see the bonus lemon. As I've said, the bonus lemon is sort of "unlocked" by the winner, but it's really a big present for everyone.

So if you guys want that extra lemon...I encourage you to send in pictures!

* * *

Chapter 44

_"Connections"_

That night, Sora was treated to eating biscuits, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, and all sorts of other yummy things. Everyone was either eating in the kitchen or in the living room, and after eating, Sora was pulled aside by Kairi. She looked up at him with a smile.

"Sora?"

"Yeah?"

"When we talked a while back, you said that the next time we met, you wanted to kiss."

Sora blinked, pausing. Yes, he did vaguely recall saying that. But... _But...do I still want that?_ He wondered.

"...Yeah," he said, "So...?"

Kairi giggled. "Well, c'mere, silly." She lifted her hands up and cupped his cheeks. She drew him down to her—she didn't need to do much, since they were of similar height—and kissed his lips gently. Sora felt a tingle. He closed his eyes and sighed, and kissed her back. It was a sweet kiss. Still, as good as it was, it wasn't what he was expecting. _Kissing a girl feels so much softer,_ he thought. For some reason, Sora wasn't feeling enough pressure. He liked it when he was kissed firmly...soundly...liked to actually feel the other person's lips on his.

_Like when Riku kisses me,_ he mused. He frowned suddenly, in his head. _Why am I still feeling so confused?_

Kairi ended the kiss and opened her eyes, and she smiled at Sora. Sora's cheeks were flushed, and he made a soft grunt—more of a sigh—blinking.

"So...?" She murmured. "Didja like it?"

Sora blinked some more, and then he smiled and gave Kairi a hug, kissing her again. However, this was more of another "tryout"—and when he was done, he felt horrible. Kairi's kisses, Kairi's hugs, Kairi's looks—she was pretty, no, _gorgeous,_ but it just wasn't what he was looking for. It was frustrating. Up until Riku—actually, up until he moved here—he'd been head over heels for her. But now...now? She was just a pretty girl.

"I love you, Sora," Kairi purred, as they began to rock back and forth slightly in each other's arms. Sora frowned, but Kairi never saw it.

"I love you, too," he murmured. He noticed that his tone was unusually flat when he said it. _It's because I don't feel that way anymore,_ he thought dejectedly. He sighed. _I feel terrible..._

Seconds later, Tidus burst in. "Hey, lovebirds!"

Kairi glared at him. "Hello, Tidus." She growled. Sora smiled at him.

"Hey."

"Yo, can I borrow you for a minute?" He asked. Sora frowned.

"Um...sure," he said. He glanced down at Kairi. "I'll be with you in a minute, okay?"

Kairi looked a little disappointed, but she nodded anyway, and let Sora go, going off to get seconds of some helpings. Tidus stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"So, I hear Riku's goin' to court."

Sora sighed. "Yeah, I don't think that's going to be very pretty."

"Well, has his mom found a lawyer yet?"

The brunet shook his head, brow creased. "I don't think so. She mentioned she was still finding one when we dropped Riku off."

"Well, why don't you give 'er a call and tell her to get in touch with this lady?" Tidus handed Sora a small white business card. Sora took it, staring at it.

"What is this?"

"Mom's feeling really guilty because she feels a little responsible for Riku's running away and all that. She grounded me when I told her something was wrong, so she's hoping she can make up for it somehow. She told me if you ever come back, to give it to you and Riku." Tidus motioned to the card. "That lady's a friend of my Edea's. She's really good, from what I hear. Won a whole bunch of cases." Tidus shrugged. "Anyway, it's just a thought. Tell Riku about it, see if he and his mom wanna give it a thought."

Sora nodded. "Sure, I will. Thanks, Tidus."

"No problem."

As Tidus left him to stand there, going to get more of Lisa's cooking, Sora's eyes skimmed the card with slight interest. _A really good lawyer, huh...?_ It was a simple-looking card. Not that it was supposed to be impressive. It gave a number and a name: Lulu Sykes. A picture of the woman was printed in a square box on the right side of the card. She looked extremely serious—she wore a lot of dark make-up and her hair was black and done up in a bun, although bangs still framed her face. _Well...she _looks_ like she'd know what she's doing._

_

* * *

_

"Not feeling hungry?"

Riku sighed and pushed his plate away. "I'm sorry. I'm just feeling kinda off."

"That's all right." Tifa took his plate and hers. "Probably feeling a little overwhelmed, eh?"

Riku looked out the window. It was raining tonight. The weather said it would rain tomorrow, too. "I guess so," he mumbled.

Actually, the truth of it was, he was missing Sora. Terribly. And he was really looking forward to that phone call tomorrow. He needed to hear Sora's voice...if that, at least, just to make sure he'd be okay until Ansem got what he knew was damn well coming to him.

The silver-haired teen sighed.

_Four years, and it's finally going to end,_ he thought. _I almost feel like I'm stuck in a dream. Some of this is just too good to be true...hnn. Sora...please be okay._


	45. Ch 45: Last Notes, Last Calls

**Author's Notes:** Oh my God, it's actually a long chapter. The first one in a long while that's actually REALLY long.

So, just to remind everyone -** this is the beginning of Part 3, and you have ALL OF PART 3 to send me fanart of this fic.** It should depict one of your favorite moments from the whole fic. If you'd like, you can bide your time and see if something pops up that you like better before the last five chapters. Just as long as you get it in before the last five chapters! _I will let everyone know when the deadline's getting close,_ because I'm going to try and write ahead so I know when it's going to end.

Someone asked me if they knew their sister's email (one of my frequent reviewers, and it was actually very sweet of her to check up on the fic for her sister), and unfortunately, I do not. But that's why I'm announcing winners and runner-ups on the second-to-last chapter; so that you can e-mail me your address. (As in, _physically **e-mail** it to me, **not **sending me a PM_ by I've found that trying to send e-mails and Internet links in the PM system here blanks out the entire thing altogether and I never receive it.)

Just reminding you to keep the contest in mind.

Also, when you read this chapter, if you've paid attention, Timeline statistics indicate that the day they got back is when there was four days left in the trial - so no, there are technically no errors in my writing. Just so nobody wonders about it.

It just occurred to me I don't know how much a good lawyer costs. Anyone out there lawyer-expenses-savvy?

* * *

Part Three

_"Moving Forward" _

_

* * *

_

_

* * *

_

Chapter 45

_"Last Notes, Last Requests"_

The blond's eyes fluttered as he stared at Sora with a sort of bewildered expression on his face. Hayner creased his brow, his face changing expression, and he crossed his arms.

"Yer...kiddin'...right?"

Sora pointed his fingers at his cheeks. "Look at my face. Do I look like I'm kidding?"

Hayner waved one arm about. "Ain'tcha s'posed to fix all that on yer own time?"

"I _am_ fixing it on my own time!" Sora whined. "I just need to test something, that's all!"

"Aah, I see. Usin' me to help ya out with yer little 'Identity Crisis', eh?"

"Haynerrrr!"

Hayner put his hands on his hips. "Besides, Sora, you don't know I'm really gay."

Sora glared at him. "You just _told_ me you were! Don't mess with me, I'm not _that_ stupid!"

The blond laughed nervously. "Eh...so I did." He scratched the back of his head. "Y'know...Sora...you say you been goin' along with this with that Riku kid?" Sora bobbed his head up and down in a frantic nod. Hayner frowned at him. "Y'mean you make out with 'im for hours on end and you're tellin' me you _still_ doubt you're gay?" He peered at him. "You sure you didn't—?"

"I would NEVER!" Cried Sora, his face beet-red. The brunet pointed accusingly at Hayner, so flustered was he. "And don't try to pin this with logic! I have a method to my madness!" He cried. He looked around the walls of his room cautiously, and glanced at the door, hoping Kairi wouldn't come knocking when it was locked.

"Look...the thing is..." Sora was making hand gestures as he spoke, "I mean, yeah...I think...I think I really like Riku. But I still like Kairi, too...just not as much as I used to...y'know?"

Hayner sighed. "So yer _bisexual._ Get _over_ it, Sora. You think too much, ya know that?"

"Bis like both sexes!" Whimpered Sora. "Not just one! And I like Riku _more,_ so...!"

Hayner held up a pointer finger. "And bis also usually got a _preference_ for one gender over th'other, regardless that they like both. Do yer research, Sora."

Sora sulked. "You're not helping me."

"Well, ain't my fault you ain't listenin' to me!" Hayner put his hands on his hips. "Look, you. You's dense as concrete sometimes, but you got a good head on your shoulders, and ya got a big heart. Use 'em."

The brunet sat on the edge of his bed and pouted, his chin in his hands. "Yeah, thanks a lot," he grumbled sarcastically.

Hayner watched him sulk, and then he shook his head. Sighing, he smiled sympathetically and walked over to Sora's bed, sitting down beside him.

"But..._but,_" he said, "Because I'm such a lech, and 'cause I like you so much..." Sora blinked at Hayner as he turned his head so they were looking at each other's eyes, and brought their faces close. "I think I'll reap up the chance b'fore ya snatch it back."

"Wh—?"

Hayner put a finger on Sora's lips, and gave him a firm glare. "IF ya promise me you'll pick a person, and stick with 'em. Got it?" Hayner smiled, and winked. "Could be Kairi, could be Riku, but pick someone for me, alright? You'll know who it'll be when it comes down to it."

Sora gave Hayner an empty stare.

"Promise?"

The brunet nodded. "O...kay."

"Whassat? Can't hear ya."

"I said, _okay._" Sighed Sora. Hayner grinned.

"Atta boy!" He said, which made Sora feel more than just a year younger than him. He couldn't believe Hayner was seventeen already...

Hayner put his hands on Sora's shoulders and gently pushed him back onto the bed. Gasping at first, Sora looked up at Hayner, and the blond turned his body on top of Sora's slightly.

"Now," he murmured, "On to my prize."

Startled, Sora could think of nothing else to do except to return Hayner's kiss when their lips meshed together, closing his eyes instinctively. He heard a soft moaning sound, but he couldn't discern if it was Hayner or if it was him. It sounded like it had been both of them. Sora groaned shortly again, and buried his fingers in Hayner's messy blond hair. It was a little slick with grease, but Sora didn't mind.

Hayner slid his hands underneath Sora's back, and the brunet arched to allow him to slip his fingers under the hem of his shirt. His hips pressed up against Hayner's in the process. Sora heard himself sigh and snaked one arm down around Hayner's waist. Their lips parted with a soft smack, and Hayner caught his breath before slipping his tongue into Sora's open mouth.

The brunet's heart fluttered and he pulled back suddenly, breathing, "W...Wait..."

Hayner chuckled softly. "Whoops. Too much?"

His cheeks flushed red, Sora nodded wordlessly. Hayner nodded.

"Okay...I'll stop."

Sora swallowed the lump in his throat. "Thanks..."

"Nah. Thank _you._" Hayner got off of Sora, and smiled. "So whatcha think after that one?"

Sora fell silent for a while. He sighed, putting his chin in his hands again.

"...How am I going to tell Kairi?"

* * *

Well, this was just splendid. One more day in this blasted hospital. Ansem gripped the side of his hospital bed, hissing. At least his jaw was okay, and the medical attention was drawn _away _from his face. It was better now, though still bruised. And his ribs were still killing him. Apparently, Riku had broken a few. _Little bastard! _He growled mentally. _You'll rue the day you turned on me!_

"Er...Mister Ansem?" A timid young nurse poked her head in. She must not even be a nurse yet. She was probably in an internship or something. She looked too young to be a nurse. Shouldn't she still be in medical school? Whatever. Ansem didn't care. He glared at her with fiery amber eyes, and snarled, "_What?_"

She flinched back. "E-Er, you have, uh, guests. Um, two of them...ah...two men." She shrank back against the frame of the door. Her expression seemed to say, "Please don't kill me."

"Who are they?" He demanded.

At that point, Sephiroth peered in, and Ansem seemed to relax.

"It's not good courtesy to scare the nurses, Ansem."

Ansem snorted. He glared at the young woman again.

"Get out of here," he snarled to her. She more than happily obliged. Sephiroth shook his head, sighing.

"Still hot-headed, I see."

Ansem leered at his old friend. "My jaw hurts, my face is bruised, my arms have inch-deep gashes, my chest is scratched, and I have three broken ribs! You give me one reason why I shouldn't be _hot-headed._"

Sephiroth turned and looked over his shoulder. A man with very short blond hair, along with a trimmed beard and mustache, walked into the room. His left ear had a piercing hole, but there was no earring in it. He wore a plain brown business suit, the coat hanging in his arms, exposing his white, long-sleeved polo shirt. Ansem narrowed his eyes.

"Who's this?"

"This is Luxord," said Sephiroth, "Your lawyer."

Ansem looked at Sephiroth incredulously. "Lawyer?" He echoed. When it dawned on him, he grumbled. "How good is he?"

"One of the best in Alexandria," boasted Luxord. His voice had the faintest accent to it. Possibly British. He nodded courteously to Ansem. "That is, if you can afford me."

Ansem glared at Sephiroth, but the man just put his arms behind his back and nodded at him. Ansem frowned at him, and wondered what the hell he was up to. He turned to Luxord.

"I'm...sure I can," he said, still baffled. "So..."

"Your friend says you're being pressed for charges of rape and assault. Correct?"

Ansem's mood soured. The dark-skinned man creased his brow angrily. His voice dropped low. "And child abuse, yes." He shifted a little uncomfortably. The stupid hospital gown was thin as paper, and the sheets weren't helping. The room was cold. He envied the two men standing in front of him, who were allowed to wear real clothes.

"How much evidence does the Plaintiff have against you?"

Ansem stumbled mentally. Every time he thought about that, it made him panic. The evidence was undeniably staggering. That was why this whole court business made him sweat. For the first time in his life, he was actually scared, because he knew he would probably get caught. There was almost no chance of walking out of this one.

"A...A lot." He croaked. His eyes shifted down to his lap as he spoke, and then glanced to some distant corner of the room.

"Hmmm," said Luxord. _So I'm defending the definite guilty party again. This isn't going to look good on my record. Ah, well. You win some, you lose some._

"I'm not sure what I can do for you yet, Mister Atercor. First I'll have to go over the case files, and you'll have to pay me for my services before the trial begins. It's in...four days, isn't it?"

Ansem remembered getting a subpoena about that. He just nodded dumbly.

"Very well. Once I've gotten the evidence straightened out, I'll contact you and we can discuss what may be done. Here is my card." Luxord produced a business card from his pocket and handed it to Ansem. "And may I ask for your phone number as well?"

"Ah—just a moment..." Ansem's face was genuinely worried. "E-Exactly how much do I have to pay you?"

Luxord gazed at him with eyes unblinking. "For this case, I'll have to give you an up-front fee. Do you want to know what that is?"

Ansem nearly choked, because he didn't like the sound of how Luxord said that. He visibly paled, even for his dark skin. "N...No, that's, that's quite alright. I-I'm sure I can..." he looked up at Sephiroth. Sephiroth nodded at him. He coughed. "...Cover it."

Luxord frowned. "...Mister Atercor, if you don't have the money..."

"I have it! I have it!" cried Ansem desperately. He coughed again. "Trust me, I have it."

Luxord sighed. "If you say so." _If he doesn't have it, I can always decline. Still, I wish this man would know how much money he has. Ah, well. _That's what life was all about, in Luxord's opinion. Risks. Gambling. In fact, he much enjoyed going to the casinos every so often. Luxord was rather particular with the games he played. He was pretty good at slots, and had a knack for a pair of dice, but his best money always raked in when he played things like Blackjack. Hearts. Spades. Poker. Luxord loved cards.

"At any rate, may I have your phone number?"

"A...Absolutely." Ansem mumbled. He wrote it down for Luxord when he gave him a pen and paper. This time, Luxord caught a quick exchange of glances between Sephiroth and Ansem. That was when it clicked in his mind. He frowned.

_Ah, well._ He thought. _It's not going to look terrible on my record. Won't be too big a dent._

Luxord checked his watch, sighing. _Too late to take it back now...hmph...I'm making such terrible decisions today._

"Thank you for your time, Ansem," he said. "But unfortunately, I have a dinner scheduled with a couple of fellows from my firm, so I'd best be going."

"Thank you, Luxord," Sephiroth said. Luxord nodded to him as he put his coat on, straightening the lapels and giving Ansem another goodbye (to which Ansem responded gutturally) before he walked out.

Now Ansem was sure he was sweating bullets. He stared at Sephiroth with slightly wide eyes. "Sephiroth...just how expensive _is_ he?" He whispered.

"Don't worry about it, old friend." Sephiroth smirked. "I'll give you the money you need. I already asked him what the flat-rate fee was for a case like this. It's plenty affordable to me." He leaned a little close and said, "You'll have the money tomorrow. So you can stop acting like a deer in the headlights now."

The amber-eyed man breathed a great sigh of relief. "I can't believe I'm going to court for this..."

Sephiroth gave him a sharp glare. "You _can't_ believe it?" His voice dropped to a dull growl. "You raped children for years, and it just so happens you picked the wrong one to corner. How can you _not_ believe this would happen? You thought you would never get caught?"

Ansem felt like a child getting a scolding. He couldn't hold eye contact with Sephiroth, who sighed and sat down in a chair next to Ansem's bed.

"If you ask me, for everything you've done, you _should_ go to jail."

"Then why did you give me the lawyer?" Growled Ansem. "If you think I should be punished for this, then you shouldn't be helping me!"

Sephiroth gazed at Ansem, long and hard. He sighed.

"You asked me to help you. I can't turn down a request from a friend. But as good as Luxord is, he's still not the best. I'm not sure if you're going to win this."

"You're probably hoping I'll lose." Hissed Ansem. "Some friend you are, Sephiroth."

The Rising Sun manager just shrugged his shoulders. "I _do_ still have morals, you know."

"So you just gave me the lawyer because you knew I was going to lose anyway?"

"Oh, please, Ansem. Now you're acting like a little boy." Ansem didn't respond to that. Sephiroth thought for a moment. Then, he added, "By the way, I found out where the two were hiding. Since you asked about that, too."

Ansem clenched his fists. "Where were they?"

"My ex sheltered them. Though I hardly know how he was able to feed them."

Ansem looked up and blinked. "Your...ex?"

Sephiroth cast his eyes down, looking dismayed. "Cloud broke up with me recently."

"...Hmm." Grunted Ansem. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's not that hard on me. Still..." Sephiroth shook his head. "He was so beautiful. Quiet, but beautiful, and strapping for a man his age. Good in bed, too. I was hoping he wouldn't be a catch that would slip through my fingers, but..." he sighed. "That's life, I suppose."

Ansem grit his teeth. In a twisted sense, that was similar to how he felt about Riku. Riku reminded him of how he'd been in his youth: strong and strong-_willed._ Maybe that was why he kept him...

"Where are they now?"

Sephiroth smirked. "Didn't you see the news? They're back home, safe and sound. But, ah, I wouldn't advise trying to get close to Riku again. His mother issued a restraining order...plus, I think that kid will know better now than to lie back and take it. You'll probably wind up back here with more broken ribs."

Ansem scoffed. "Disrespectful little bastard," he grumbled.

Sephiroth didn't comment on that. He could only imagine what was going through his friend's head. Standing up, he dusted off his shirt.

"In any case, good luck with the court thing. You get out of the hospital tomorrow, right?"

"I believe so," mumbled Ansem.

"Call me sometime, and let me know how things are going."

Ansem sighed. "I will."

* * *

**Thursday**

**Three Days Until Trial**

Tifa frowned and crossed her arms. It was two-twenty in the afternoon, and Riku was still watching television on the couch, zoning out. Wearing only jeans. _What a lazy boy..._

"Come on, honey, you need to eat _something._"

"I ate already," Riku grunted. Tifa put her hands on her hips.

"And _what_ did you eat, pray tell?"

"A Pop-Tart."

Tifa narrowed her eyes. "_A_ Pop-Tart?"

"Yep."

"_One_ Pop-Tart."

"Thaaat's right."

"How long ago?"

Riku checked the clock next to the couch. "...Seven or eight this morning."

"Riku Lockheart, that is _not_ a morning meal. _Nor_ does that count as a lunch."

"Mmm-hmm," murmured Riku. He picked up the remote and started to change the channel; his mother snatched it up and turned the television off. Riku looked up at her, arms shrugged in bewilderment.

"Hey, I was watching that!"

"Sit up."

Riku frowned at her. Tifa leered. "I said,_ sit up._"

Not happy that the television was off, Riku growled in the back of his throat and sat up. Tifa took up the empty spot beside him, setting the remote down on the table. Riku glanced furtively at it, but didn't dare reach for it.

"Riku...what's wrong? Is it the trial? Is it Ansem?"

"It's _everything,_ Mom."

Tifa sighed. "And that's why you're acting like an emo-tastic teen?"

Riku groaned, and gave his mother a bright-eyed, pleading look. "I wanted to protect Sora, Mom! But now I can't make sure that he's okay! Because he's at his own house! It's—"

"—_Okay._" His mother interjected. "Sora can take care of himself."

"Yeah, but...!" Riku moaned and held his head in his hands, clawing his fingers back through his hair. He gave a frustrated sigh, shaking his head. "What if he doesn't have a restraining order? What if Ansem's well enough to walk around and snatch him? Sora lives right in his _neighborhood_...!"

Tifa listened to her son sigh in frustration again, and then she sighed herself, leaning on her knees with her elbows, gazing at him.

"You really love that boy, don't you?"

Riku shook his head. "I dunno. Maybe?"

Tifa chuckled, "There are no 'maybes' about it, Riku. Come on, you've been sighing nonstop since last night, and all you do is sit around...you'll stare at the television even when it's not turned on." She laughed. "I've never known any kid to do that."

Riku bowed his head and sighed—again. Tifa smirked, knowing her point was proven. She wrapped a companionable arm around her son's shoulders.

"So...you _do_ love him."

The silver-haired teen stared at the floor with caribbean eyes. He creased his brow, twirling strands of his hair between his fingers.

"...Yeah...I guess."

Tifa looked skyward and shook her head. _These kids,_ she thought. _I'll never understand why they feel the need to hide things._ She drew Riku into a hug, squeezed him, and kissed his head.

"Come on, honey, get dressed...wait..." she sniffed. Her face cringed. "Have you showered today, Riku?"

Riku groaned.

"Go upstairs and shower."

"But I don't smell!"

"You'll stink up a mud pit if you don't shower. Go on, off to the bathroom with you."

Riku stood up and grumbled. "When am I gonna get to stop using your girly deodorant, Mom? I'm not gonna go to court smelling like lilacs and roses."

She grinned. "Glad you asked, dear. We're going to go shopping today. Mostly for clothes for you. No go on and shower, I'm not going to tell you again."

Riku narrowed her eyes at her. "I don't like you," he grumbled. Tifa laughed heartily and waved a dismissive hand.

"Ha! That'll go away after we've gone shopping."

Riku muttered things under his breath as he turned off the water from the showerhead a few moments later, and grabbed a light-blue towel hanging on the rack to wrap around his waist. He grabbed a second one of the same color to ruffle his hair, squeezing the ends, making it so it wasn't dripping wet. After getting on a pair of boxers and jeans, he was running a brush through his tangled silvery hair when the phone rang.

"...Rikuuu! I think it's for you, honey!"

Riku dropped the brush instantly. _It's gotta be Sora! _He stomped down the stairs as quickly as his steps could take him, and grabbed the cordless kitchen phone off the receiver, pressing the "TALK" button.

"Sora?" He asked anxiously.

He heard panicked breathing on the other end. "R-Riku!"

Riku froze. "Sora? What's the matter?"

More panicked breathing. "Riku, I—!" Riku thought his heart would stop.

"_Sora?_"

...Then laughter.

"Gotcha!"

Riku paled, and then flared up, beet-red from both anger and embarrassment. "AAAUUGH! YOU LITTLE SHIT! I'LL STRANGLE YOU!"

"Watch it with the language in there!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Snapped Riku. He hissed into the phone, still hearing Sora's laughter.

"That's not funny, you little _prick!_ You gave me a _heart attack!_ God, I thought the old bastard caught you!"

"I was kidding, Riku."

"I'll say it again. NOT FUNNY!"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." But the brunet was still giggling. "Gosh, are you really that worried about me?"

"If it'll make you stop prattling like a hyena,_ yes,_ I'm _that_ worried about you!"

"Awww, I feel all loved and shit. You should see me, I'm turning all red! Nice going, man."

Riku rolled his eyes as he began to walk back upstairs. "You'd blush if a gopher bit your toe, Sora. It's an out-of-control mechanism for you or something."

"Yeah, but if someone rubs your stomach, you purr like a cat."

Now it was Riku's turn to blush. He growled into the phone, "Don't you _dare_ start using shit like that to blackmail me, you hear?"

"Of course not...!" Sora laughed, "I just think it's cute, that's all..."

"...Cute?" Riku blinked. "You think that's cute?"

"Is that the wrong word to use?"

Riku shook his head, even though he knew Sora couldn't see it. "Well, no, it's just..."

"Ha, ha, ha...just take the compliment, will ya?"

Riku chuckled nervously. His cheeks went from red to pink. "H-Heh...okay."

"Oh...ah...by the way..."

The teen crossed his arms. "Yes, Sora?"

Sora fell silent for a while on the other end. Riku waited patiently for him to answer, tilting his head curiously. When he finally heard Sora's voice, he was drumming his fingers on his arm.

"...I, um...I think I'm over my confusion now."

Riku perked up. "Oh, you are?"

"I think so. I mean, I straightened it out...I, uh, got some help..."

Riku felt a heartstring get tugged. He didn't like that idea. Maybe because he was assuming it involved Sora making out with another guy?

"What kind of help?" He asked.

"Just an old friend of mine, he's gay and everything...I, uh..." a beat of a pause, "...I asked him a couple of questions, and he answered them for me. It helped a lot."

_Just questions? _The silver-haired teen frowned. _He hid something there...guess it doesn't really matter. I won't push my buttons._

"That's great, Sora. I'm happy for you." _Now, if I could tell you I love you!_

"Heh, yeah, feels like a big weight off my shoulders, you know?" Riku nodded his head.

"I know the feeling," he said. He snickered. "That's what we gay people call 'coming out of the closet.' I'm sure you've heard it before."

"Okay, now you're teasing me, stop."

"But you're so fun to tease!" Riku chuckled. He paused, and then he got a wicked grin on his face and lowered his voice, speaking as sultrily as he could. "Especially when you're shirtless, when I can rub your skin and suck your—"

"**_Argh! _**Stop it, stop it, now you're _really_ making me turn red!" Riku's grin widened.

"And I know how much you love it when I kiss your neck, and that you like your hips to be rubbed."

Sora whined helplessly. "Rikuuu...!"

"I'll bet when I take off your pants, I could—"

"I GET IT!"

Riku snickered. "That's your karma for scaring the hell out of me." Oh, he could just _imagine_ the adorable pout on Sora's face. Yes, the brunet would pout and cross his arms, glaring at him with glowing red cheeks.

"...You're _evil._"

"I know. It's good to be bad."

Sora sighed on his end of the line. "Do you always have to do stuff like that?"

"Well, not always." Riku chuckled. "Just when I'm feeling especially devilish."

"Oh!" cried Sora. Riku tilted his head. " 'Oh', what?"

"Tidus gave me something, he said I should share it with you and your mom."

"What is it?" He asked curiously.

"It's, um, a business card...for a lawyer."

Riku blinked. "Tidus knows a lawyer?"

"Well, his mom does, that's beside the point. She was feeling guilty for some reason, and she thought you might want a good lawyer, so she wanted to give you the card. I can tell you who it is and how to call her, if you want. You could write it down and give it to your mom."

Riku glanced around the room he was staying in, practically devoid of everything except for an old computer with an unusually slow cable connection and some essentials (like a bed). He managed to find a pencil and a piece of paper. "Fire away."

"Okay, her name is Lulu Sykes, and she works for the Macalai Law Firm. Her number is, ah...seven-oh-eight, six-six-five, eight-two-two-seven." Riku jotted it down as Sora said it.

"Gotcha. Thanks. Um, just how good is this lady, anyway?"

"She's supposed to be _really_ good."

"...That means she'll be expensive."

"Well, she's not _that_ good. But she's pretty damn good. I mean, I asked Tidus more about it this morning, and he says she's just started out, but that she's pretty much doing a good job working her way up to the top. So, she can't be _that_ hefty on price, right?"

Riku sighed. "I guess not. Thanks, anyway, Sora."

"Sure, no problem! Oh, I gotta go. Kairi's getting restless."

He narrowed his caribbean eyes. "Kairi? Who's Kairi?"

"...She's...uhh...that girlfriend I told you about..."

_Oh, _Riku thought. He paused to rewind what had been said. _'That Girlfriend'? Sora MUST have gotten over his confusion, then. Even HE'S saying she's not interesting..._

Ah, how fortune was shining upon him today. But Riku didn't get his hopes up too quickly. Sora hadn't said anything positive, and he didn't want to jump to conclusions. Still...maybe it'd be a good idea to lay it out on the table...

"So she's the one?"

"Yeah." Sora's voice sounded a little unsure. "We kissed last night..."

"A _real_ kiss?" Asked Riku.

"...Real as it gets, I guess..."

He was trying hard to hide his excitement. "You were disappointed?"

"...Girl's lips are too soft." Sora complained. Riku chuckled.

"You like it when you can feel it, huh?"

"Uh-huh..." the brunet quieted. Then he cleared his throat. "A-Anyway, I'll, um, talk to you later okay?"

There was a long silence between them. Riku did a final debate in his mind. Should he, or should he not? He didn't know how high the risk was...but...

"Riku?"

"...Sora?" He said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"...I'm just letting you know...I..." Riku swallowed and breathed deeply. "I love you."

"... ... ... ... ... ..._Click_."

Riku sighed and hung up. _Well, that's that, then. Not exactly a yes, but not really a no, either. Is it really so hard to just pick an answer?_

But, ten minutes later, just as they were about to go out the door, the phone rang again. Tifa sighed. "Riku?"

"Getting it," he said. He picked it up, and sure enough, it was Sora again. He heard the other swallowing nervously.

"...I...I think I love you, too."

_Click._

Riku hung up, as well.

_And then he smiled._


	46. Ch 46: What It's Like to Lose It All

**Author's Notes:** ...Sooo, it seems I'll have to be taking another look through_ Law & Order: SVU_ at the VERY least if I want to be TELEVISION ACCURATE. What a lame way to go about this. (sigh) I'm sorry if anyone gets nitpicky about the details, just pray that I still remember the difference between "sustained" and "overruled" when I get to the juicy bits. Surely I'm not _that _terrible with my memory...

**Axel:** Ya got it _memorized? _

**KLM:** (glares at him) You, _silence with the parodies!_ Now go make love to Roxas, you flaming gay pedophile.

**Axel:** ...I'm nineteen...

**KLM:** You LIE! Off to the Roku-chan with you!

**Axel: **No, really...uh...I'm younger than twenty.

**KLM:** You LLLIIIIEEEE. (Death-Eyes Axel)

**Axel:** (cowers in fear of Death Eyes) Okay, okay, I'm going!

(sigh) Anyway. Another chapter. Sadly, it is three pages shorter like most of the others were. Ah well. I'll try to get some other longer chapters in somehow.

**OVER FIVE HUNDRED REVIEWS. **I LOVE YOU ALL TO _DEATH._ WHEN I DIE, ALL OF YOU WILL RECEIVE A BISHIE CLONE FROM MY WILL.

(hugs for everyone)_  
_

* * *

Chapter 46

_"What It's Like to Lose It All"_

**Friday Afternoon**

**Two Days Until Trial**

"Boy, you sure were right-quick to do the pickin'."

Hayner and Sora both watched as Kairi and Naminé got into their car with their father, and drove away. Sora had a very deep frown on his face, and was chewing the inside of his cheek gently.

"You know, when I said, 'pick someone', I didn't mean you had to do it right away."

"I know, but..."

Hayner glanced at him. "It felt right?"

"Maybe...or maybe I'm just too impulsive."

"Or too _scared._" Hayner nudged him. "I'll bet fear did it, huh? Wanted to hurry up and get the yellin' overwith, didn't'cha?"

Sora's shoulders slumped. Maybe that had been a part of it—but, the truth was that Kairi didn't yell at him at all. In fact, she didn't say anything. Instead, what she did was stare at him for the longest time—and then she said with a sad smile that she understood, and that she'd always thought there was something she'd been doing wrong.

"No! It's not you!" Sora had said. (Although, in reality, it kind of _was_ her—but not in the way she was thinking.) Kairi had responded, "It's alright, Sora. I know when I'm beat. You musta found some better girl who lives closer."

She had shrugged her shoulders, laughing rejectedly. "That's life, I guess..."

Sora felt terrible afterwards. He hadn't even told Kairi that he was gay (or bi, or whatever would have made it easier for Kairi to understand). All he had said was that this was becoming a long-distance relationship, and that he'd found someone else. And to see that look on her face—well, even if he didn't love her anymore, it broke his heart. He expected she would be upset, but just like any boy, Sora couldn't read girls' minds. He hadn't estimated just _how_ upset.

It made him feel worse when he remembered he'd called Riku and told him that he loved him _before_ he'd broken up with Kairi. Just what the hell was wrong with him, anyway? Had he always been this bad with people? He couldn't ever remember doing something that had made him feel so _rotten_. (Well...there was the time he broke his mother's prized blue vase, but, he'd been six at the time.)

"Hey, cheer up." Hayner patted Sora's back heartily. "The worst part's over 'n done with, right?"

The brunet's response was a dejected sigh. "I guess," he mumbled. Hayner just shook his head, and ruffled Sora's spikey hair.

"You'll get over it."

"Yeah." Sighed Sora. He turned away from the window. "Hey, Mom?" He called. "I'm gonna go shower. If Tidus or Roxas come by, can you tell 'em to come back later?"

"Sure thing, hun!"

"Thanks." Sora trudged up the stairs with heavy feet, while Hayner made off to the kitchen for cream cheese and crackers. He would be leaving tomorrow, Sora realized. Now that everyone knew he was okay, they were all leaving. The house would be empty pretty soon, except for his family that lived there. It made him feel a little lonely.

Stripping off all his clothes and cranking on the shower, Sora shut the door behind him in the bathroom of the upstairs hallway. It was technically both his and Selphie's. He knew this because Selphie's Little Mermaid towel was hanging up on the rack that was nailed to the door.

While he wet his hair under the spray, shutting the translucent clear curtain, Sora thought about what he was going to do for the next couple of days. Riku might call him to be a witness in court. He wondered how that would blow over. And there was probably a whole big wagon full of schoolwork he had to catch up on...that thought made him groan with despair. _My desks are gonna be piled up with all those papers, _he whined mentally. There was silence in his mind before he switched tracks. _Man, I feel awful._

Sora squeezed some shampoo into his hands and started to scrub it into his chestnut hair. _Guess I can always call Riku again, or something. So he won't be bored before the trial._

Downstairs, the phone rang for him, but Sora didn't hear it. Lisa glanced up from her seat at the kitchen table and picked up the phone. "Hello? Tilmitt residence."

"Is Sora home?"

"He's in the shower..." Lisa frowned. "Who is this?"

"Uhh...it's Riku."

Lisa still wasn't very happy with Riku. She put one hand on her hips. "Oh, I see," she grunted. "What business do you have with my son?"

"...Listen, ma'am, if you're still mad at me, I'm sorry. Okay? I was a stupid kid and I did stupid shit. But please tell me that you're not gonna put any restrictions on or something."

"Frankly, that's not any of your business," said Lisa. "And in any case, I accept your apology, but you're not smoothing out those wrinkles so easily. You hear?"

What she heard was a frustrated sigh. "Fine, fair enough." Riku asked her, "I just wanted to know if Sora was free tomorrow?"

"Why do you want to know?"

Riku paused.

"...Well, frankly ma'am, I'd like to take him out someplace."

Lisa blinked. This, she had not been expecting. "What, you mean like on a date?"

There was a long pause.

"...It's not really a date...okay, look, bad timing. Can I call back when he's out of the shower? When do you think he'll get out?"

She shook her head. "Riku, I'm sorry, but do you know that my son is straight?"

Hayner was in the room when she said this. He had to duck below the counter because he'd barely succeeded in swallowing his cracker, and his chest hurt because he was breaking out in silent laughter. He, quite simply, found it _hilarious._

"Mrs. Tilmitt, can you please just tell me when Sora will be out of the shower?"

"Uhh—"

"Actually, nevermind. Gimme thirty minutes. I'll call back later. Thirty minutes is enough time, right? Sorry for bothering you. Bye."

Baffled and confused, Lisa tried to interject with her stutters, but she heard the click of the phone hanging up before she could even try. She looked at the phone, blinking, and then hung up herself. _Well, that was strange,_ she thought. _I wonder what that was all about._

_

* * *

_

Cloud, Seifer, Fuujin, and Raijin stared at the pile of boxes on the doorstep. Raijin crossed his arms, grumbling something, and the other three simply gazed at it with sorrowful eyes. After telling the children yesterday about what had happened, they had all gone to school with sad faces and heavy hearts. Cloud wasn't in the best of moods. His heart ached in his chest, but he struggled not to show it.

"So," Seifer said, "That's it, then."

"ROTTEN." Fuujin hissed, clenching her fists. Cloud just hung his head. He'd gotten an e-mail yesterday that he'd been fired from work, and now here were his things on the doorstep. Now the money was at a dead halt. There was no way the three eldest could cover the costs with their money, and Cloud couldn't ask any of the younger ones to give up theirs. That was how they earned their allowances.

"What a stuck-up, spiteful_ bastard,_ ya know!"

"Guess we better take these in."

Cloud sighed, nodded, and gathered up two of the boxes in his arms. Seifer and Fuujin took any of the others that were there—there wasn't very many to begin with. Four, tops.

"Are you going to need any help packing, Cloud? You said you had a place you were going to go stay at for a while."

Cloud shook his head. "I'll...I'll do it myself, Seifer. Thanks."

Fuujin's face softened. She dropped the box in her hands on the couch and suddenly hugged Cloud around his middle from behind. Cloud closed his eyes, and grit his teeth behind his lips. He knew he was going to miss them.

Seifer got the box out of his hands, and when they were all by the couch, Cloud turned around and hugged Fuu back. She squeezed him harder, until the blond thought he would suffocate, but he didn't care. Seifer joined in and hugged the both of them. Raijin blinked at the display.

"Hey, uh, we're gettin' all touchy-feely, ya know?"

"Shut up and share the fucking love, dimwit." Growled Seifer. Raijin jumped, and Cloud smiled slightly as he chuckled.

"G-Got it, ya know." Rai wrapped his big arms around Cloud's shoulders.

They all stood there like that for a while, embracing each other for what they knew would be the last time. Raijin backed out when he started to feel nervous, though. ("Can't stand huggin'," he grumbled.)

"We'll cook," Fuujin said softly. "Cook a good meal for Cloud. Good meal for children."

"It's the least we can do." Seifer nodded, agreeing with the proposal. Cloud tried to smile, but failed.

"What are we going to eat?"

Seifer smirked. "Don't worry about it, we'll think up something. We lived with you since the start, remember?"

"_Yeah!_" Raijin pumped his fists. "We'll make it really _great,_ ya know!"

Cloud truly appreciated the gestures of kindness, and he knew that there was nothing that would stop these three from accomplishing what they were going to give back to him. They were right—after all those years of taking care of them, they did owe him something. But the strange thing was that Cloud already felt like they'd given it to him. He had the opportunity to watch them grow; that was reward enough for him. Perhaps it was simple, but Cloud didn't mind it.

"Thank you," he said. "All of you."

"Don't thank us. You've done enough. No more thanking. It's our turn to do that."

Cloud hummed sadly and managed a small smile. He watched Seifer give him a thumbs-up, and suddenly the world seemed a little less complicated.

"Help carry," offered Fuujin, picking up the boxes. She looked at Cloud. "Your room?"

"Yes, thank you."

Seifer growled. "What did I say about thanking?"

Cloud chuckled. "Alright—yes, _please._" He corrected himself.

After he and Fuujin got his office things into his room, Fuujin went back downstairs and Cloud got on the computer. The moment he was on, he was just glad the Internet was still there. Not only that, but he signed onto his messenger service, and Leon was there.

As if drugged, Cloud opened up a window and greeted him.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez:** hey, are you busy?

**GrieversKeepers:** Not really. Paperwork. (Cloud chuckled.)

**RiddlezindaMiddlez:** Sephiroth fired me yesterday.

**GrieversKeepers:** He did what?

**GrieversKeepers: **Pretentious bastard

**RiddlezindaMiddlez:** I told you it would happen

**GrieversKeepers:** Dumb old prick!

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **Ha, ha. It's okay.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **I'll be moving soon.

**GrieversKeepers:** to your friends' house?

**RiddlezindaMiddlez: **yeah.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez:** they have flaky connection, so you might not see me much

**GrieversKeepers:** Then why don't you call me?

Cloud stopped. His fingers wanted to type, but he was a bit too shocked. He checked the message again—just to make sure he'd read right. And he had.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez:** me...call you?

**GrieversKeepers:** I'll give you my phone number.

Cloud wasn't sure what to think. He frowned. No, he did know what to think. But he didn't like it because it reminded him of all the shit that was happening right now. _Well, can't really help that, _he thought ruefully. His fingers clicked out a message.

**RiddlezindaMiddlez:** thanks.

**GrieversKeepers:** Anytime. Here's my number...

When Cloud saw it, he wrote it down. And, truth be told, the thought made him smile. That Leon would give him his phone number. _Nice of him,_ he thought. _What a good friend. Not bad-looking, either._

The blond's eyelids fluttered. He creased his brow, and shook his head. _Ugh. The depression's getting to me more than I realized._ There was no way he could just jump into another relationship. He had to get things straightened out first. _Yeah, _he said to himself. _Move in, get settled, _then_ find Leon._

Cloud froze. He knew where his mind was going, and his cheeks turned pink.

_E-Er, well, find someone else._ He corrected. _But it doesn't _have_ to be Grieve—Leon._

He stared at the computer screen, with the chat window still open. The wheels in his head started to turn, and the more he lingered, the more Cloud felt himself being nudged closer and closer to the idea.

"...Leon," he murmured. The name rolled off his tongue like silk. Cloud blinked.

It _did_ have a nice ring to it...

* * *

Ansem stared at the money on his table. It was cold, hard cash, plenty to cover Luxord's insane expenses. But that still didn't make him feel any better. He was thirty-four years old, and under house arrest. There was a policeman in his house watching him. He sure didn't dress like a cop, but Ansem knew damn well that he was one. He'd flashed his shield and then stuffed it in his pocket. Drumming his fingers, Ansem listened to his new lawyer speaking to him over the phone. 

"Unfortunately, Ansem, by the looks of things and what you tell me, I don't think we're going to be able to get you off the hook. But the least I could do is push for a shorter sentence."

Ansem grumbled. "Sure, as if I'm not already sitting on a lifetime of jail."

"We could try to shoot for fifteen, but if we go any lower, it'll be difficult."

_Fifteen to twenty years! _Ansem moaned aloud to himself. He thought he would die right there in the living room. _I'm ruined. I'll either die in there, or come out a very broken man._

"Should I press for fifteen years?" Asked Luxord.

Ansem sighed shakily. "Anything lower than twenty," he murmured, losing all resolve. There was nothing he could do to solve this—_nothing._ Somehow, he thought that even Luxord knew that. _Guess I can thank the poor bastard for trying, _he grunted mentally.

"I'll talk more with you tomorrow in person. Is there a restaurant where we could meet?"

Ansem only nodded his head. "There's a, uh...café downtown that's about twenty minutes away from here. It's called the Addled Impasse."

"Oh, I know that place. Very well, then. Tomorrow at twelve-thirty, say?"

"Fine by me. I'm taking the day off from work."

"Excellent. I'll see you then." He and Luxord hung up at virtually the same time, and Ansem sunk down in his couch, raking his fingers through his hair. The fear wouldn't leave him. He was just too nervous. The impending doom that hovered over his head was like knowing the Grim Reaper was right on your doorstep.

_This must be what it's like to lose everything,_ he decided. _It has to be._


	47. Ch 47: Chance and Chance Encounter

**Author's Notes:** Holy shit, y'all. This chapter is now the longest one. Eight and a half pages, barely clearing Chapter 8, or Chapter 9, or whatever one had the big clash between Riku and Tidus in the schoolyard. I think it was 8, wasn't it? I'm pretty sure it was 8.

My God, I don't know why I crammed all of this in here. I guess I was just too lazy to make another chapter.

I received my first fanart entry in the mail from reviewer Lee recently! I'm hoping to see more whenever I check my mail. If I don't get enough entries, you guys won't get the special lemon...so some of you better hop to the challenge and try it!

Someone asked me where you send the fanart to. Again: send it to me by e-mail. I've made it so you can click the "email" button on my profile to get my email address and send it, so it shouldn't be too difficult to get a hold of me, m'kay? Good. Enjoy the chapter, guys!

* * *

Chapter 47

_"Chance and Chance Encounter"_

Sora was towelling his hair dry when he walked out of the shower, another towel around his waist. Selphie bounced past him going up the stairs, humming a song to herself. "You got a phone call!" She sang. Sora peeked out at her from under the towel.

"Who from?" He asked.

"That Riku guy!" Answered Selphie.

_Really? He called? I wonder why._ Sora frowned. _Hmm._ He quickly threw on a pair of boxers and a plain tank top—and, just because he felt like it, that crown necklace on a chain that he loved so much. Then he went downstairs and grabbed the kitchen phone. (He needed his own phone soon, he decided.) Backtracking through the logged calls, he found Riku's number stored ("LOCKHEART, T"), and clicked it to dial. Hayner's eyes followed him as he paced, and when Sora caught it, he glowered at him and then held his head high, strutting out of the room. Hayner just grinned.

_He displays himself,_ he thought with a snicker.

"Hello?" Said a woman's voice on the phone. Sora blinked, straightening up.

"Hi, this is Sora. Is Riku home?"

"Sure thing! Just one second." Sora nodded to himself, and waited patiently. He heard some shouting in the background—asking Riku to come downstairs for the phone—then he actually heard the stomping of feet before there was talking again.

"Hey! I was going to call you back..."

Sora smiled. "Oh, Selphie told me you called, I thought I might check in. So, what's up?"

"Eh...nothing, really...Mom dragged me out for shopping. Some clothes and everything. Plus some nice suits for court." Riku grumbled, "I hate suits."

Sora tried briefly to imagine Riku wearing a suit, tie and all. He grinned and broke out in snickers. Riku said, "It's not funny."

"I can't see you wearing a suit!"

"Yeah, laugh it up, Chuckles." That just made Sora giggle more, but Riku didn't stop him. Sora had a feeling that Riku didn't really care. When he settled down, Riku cleared his throat.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something."

"Yeah?"

"Well, I'm basically going to get my arm twisted a whole lot while we're messin' around with the court room and the charges being pressed and shit...so, I thought we might go out and do something."

Sora paused. He blinked, and smiled nervously. "You mean, like, a date?"

Riku chuckled. "Your mom said the same thing when she picked up. You know she still thinks you're straight, right?"

Sora reddened. "I—I haven't gotten to that yet...I don't wanna tell her right now..."

"But you know you'll have to, eventually, right?"

"Yes," sighed Sora, "But not right now. Anyway..." He cracked into a grin just thinking about it. "Where are you going to take me?"

"There's this carnival that's downtown, about twenty minutes away. I thought I could take you there and we could, you know, have a little fun. Plus, it's right next to this hangout place that I hear has good malts and stuff."

Sora couldn't help but smile. "It sounds great! When do you want to pick me up?"

"Can you even go in the first place?"

Sora frowned. "Well, depends on when we're leaving, and all that..."

Riku paused before he responded. "Hmm...maybe, eleven o'clock we leave, three o'clock we come back? Something like that. Although..." Riku's voice changed in tone somehow. "I was really hoping you could come back to my place. But I think that's asking a little much, since it's the day right before the trial."

"Oh, well." Sora shrugged. "Hold on. Lemme ask Mom." He capped the phone in his palms and turned. "Hey, Mom?"

"Yes, honey?"

"Riku wants to take me out to a carnival tomorrow; it sounds really fun. We were thinking we could leave around eleven and get back at three. Does that sound okay?"

Lisa had an uneasy frown on her face. Sora blinked, then cringed mentally. _Oh, that's right, she doesn't know..._

"Um, I mean, like, it's going to leave town really soon. And he says some girls he knows are coming with, too."

It was a terrible lie. Still, by the grace of God, his mother bought it. Though Sora still caught that wary glance in her eyes.

"It sounds fine by me," she said. "Should I take you there to meet them?"

Sora paused. "...Hold on." He relayed this information to Riku. Then he clamped his hands on the phone again and told her, "He says he's gonna pick us all up and drive us there."

Lisa shrugged her shoulders. "I seen no trouble with it."

Sora hugged her. "Thanks, Mom!" Then he went back to Riku, pacing around the living room as he left the kitchen. "She said I can come!"

"Really?" He sounded almost relieved. "That's great! I'll pick you up at eleven sharp, so be ready for me, okay?"

"Okay." Sora nodded his head. "Do I need to bring any money?"

"Don't sweat it. Mom gave me some cash, so I'm paying."

_Aww, that's nice of him,_ Sora thought. He smiled bashfully. _So sweet..._

"Aww, how _gentlemanly._" He teased.

Riku scoffed. "Don't get used to it, I don't have a wallet."

Sora frowned. When the silence fell, Riku laughed. "I'm kidding, you goof. I would never sponge off of you. I hate spongers. They soak up all the good stuff and then they never pay for it."

Sora chuckled slightly. "So, tomorrow at eleven?"

"That's the plan."

"Okay. I'll, um...see you then, I guess." He could feel his cheeks turning pink. _God, I'm such a girl!_ He grumbled. _Hope that's not _too_ annoying._

He heard Riku chuckling at him. "You're so cute, Sora."

Now the brunet was _sure_ that he was red. He blushed madly and fidgeted with the hem of his tank top. "Stop iiiit! Don't flatter me on the phone...I'm with an unknowing mother in the other room!"

Riku laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow, you silly blushing fool." He paused. "I love you," he added. It made Sora blink for a moment. He wondered if perhaps they were moving too fast.

Still...like everything else about what he did with Riku, it just felt _right._

"I...I love you, too," he responded shyly.

"Hmmm," was the satisfied hum he got, and then the sound of a kiss. "I'll talk to you later."

"Bye," Sora murmured.

"See you." Then they hung up, and all Sora could focus on were the butterflies in his stomach. _A date! _He cried in his head. _I'm going on a date...with Riku._

The rest of that evening, he was a grinning, blushing fool, and during that whole time, Sora had to put up with Hayner's relentless teasing while he tried in vain to think of something else. He went to bed, but was too excited to sleep. He didn't actually doze off until eleven at night, and even then, all he could think was, _Twelve hours from now, Riku's going to take me on a date._

Even his dreams were riddled with the very likeness of what he imagined it would be.

* * *

One by one, they were leaving. Already, the house felt quite empty. It was just a few of the spare older ones left—Zidane, Pence, Olette, Cody, Jenevieve...and, of course, Seifer, Fuu, and Rai. Those eight, plus Cloud, were the only ones left. And none of them would be staying very soon. Cloud was trying to lift the mood by playing games with them, but it hardly helped. Zidane was the most calm that he'd ever seen him, and Olette had a sad look in her eyes. Finally, at one point she paused the game and asked, "Are we really leaving, Cloud?" 

Cloud tried to smile at her. "Don't worry. I'll try to come and visit, okay?"

"We don't want visits." Cody grumbled. "We don't wanna leave, Cloud."

The blond sighed. "I know, I know. I'm sorry. But this is how it worked out..." Cloud shook his head. "There's no way—no way I can keep up with this..."

"If that bastard hadn't fired you," growled Zidane, "Pretentious old zealot!"

"Come on, let's keep playing." Jenevieve urged. "We wanna make the most of these days, right?"

"Right," murmured some of the others. Cloud sighed again as they continued their game. Outside, the paparazzi hovered at his door with their cameras and microphones, staring in awe at the "FOR SALE" sign tacked on his lawn. He was going to sell the house, after all—as quickly as possible. He had to.

In the kitchen, the phone rang, but nobody went to answer it—thinking it was the tabloids. When the machine asked for a message and then there was the click of a hang-up, the button labeled "2" for Cloud's inbox blinked red for one new message. The logged call was "LEONHART, S".

* * *

**Saturday**

**The Day Before Trial**

Sora couldn't remember the last time he fussed over his clothing so much. He tore up his room trying to find the right thing to wear—he couldn't decide. _I really am a girl, _he mused, looking at a red t-shirt that had a white tribal dragon on it. Frowning, he tossed it onto his bed. _That won't work._ He was already dressed in a pair of black pants that hung low on his hips, and had one of his newer pairs of tennis shoes on. The pants had crossing X-shaped patterns on the pockets and were semi-Gothic. He chose those because he thought they looked cool. But now he was having trouble finding a shirt to match it.

"Grrr," he grumbled, sifting through the drawer that had all his shirts. Nervously, he checked the clock at his bedside. It was ten forty-two. He had roughly fifteen minutes until Riku came to pick him up, and he still wasn't ready! Sora moaned and pulled out a random shirt, opened it up, and stared at it front and back. It was dark blue—almost black—and it had black and white lightning-like thorns decorating the bottom of the shirt and the sleeves. On the back of it was a big white logo that resembled a three-pronged, upside-down heart. "No, not that either!" He flung it to the bed.

Hayner came upstairs and knocked on the open door. "Hey, uh, I'm leavin' now."

Sora whirled around, startled. He winced. He hadn't come down to see Hayner all morning, save for breakfast. "O-Oh, I-I'm sorry! I'll come down, I just need to find something to wear..."

Hayner laughed. "Frazzled up 'cause of your date?"

"I can't find a good shirt!" He whined.

"Yer such a girl..."

"Yes, I know, shut up!" Sora snapped, still ripping through his shirts. "Arrgh! These pants don't match _anything!_"

Hayner shrugged his shoulders. "So, change the damn pants," he suggested.

"_No!_" Cried Sora. "I like these pants! I'm not changing the pants!"

The blond sighed as he walked into the room, kicking articles of clothing out of his way. He looked through what Sora had haphazardly thrown about, picking up things, examining them, and then dropping them back to the floor. He found a dark-blue tank top with a big (but stylish) pocket for hands on the stomach of it. He held it up.

"Hey, Miss Prissy, what about this?" Hayner displayed it for Sora to see. Sora blinked at it, and tilted his head, staring.

"Uhh...that might work...but it's so old."

"Well, throw it on." Hayner tossed it to him. Sora caught it, and with a hesitant sigh, he pulled it on over his head. Hayner's face crinkled instantly.

"Needs somethin' to go over it," he mumbled.

"Since when do you know about how to dress up?" Sora asked.

Hayner gave him a deadpan stare. "Sora? I'm gay."

The brunet frowned. "That doesn't say anything..." Hayner looked over his shoulder, and laughed at him.

"Yes, Sora, yes it does. _Trust_ me." After some more searching, Hayner found he was unsuccessful and went straight for Sora's closet. He found a few jackets in there. He sifted through them all, and then he paused, tugging one out.

"Huh. This looks kinda cool." He brought out a black, short-sleeved jacket, almost like a t-shirt, that had a hoodie and some white-lined pockets. The shoulders were decorated with what could almost be called armor. "What about this?"

When Sora didn't say anything in response, Hayner threw it at him. "C'mon, c'mon, try it."

So Sora put it on, and then looked at Hayner as if expecting a verdict. Hayner cocked his head to one side, and twirled his finger, pointing it at the floor.

"Turn around?"

Sora felt like his mother was making him try things on at the store. He sighed and did a quick spin, then went back to the same blank stare. Hayner grinned at him.

"Ooh, that's good! See? I'm a girl's best friend."

"Do you really think this looks okay?" Sora looked at himself and tugged at the bottom of the jacket, twisting this way and that to get a full view of it. "It's good?"

"You look fine, Sora, now stop fussin' about it. Do ya not trust my judgement?"

The brunet seemed to catch up with a past remark and glowered at him. "I'm not that much of a girl," he grumbled. Hayner just snickered.

"Yeah, yeah, sure you aren't."

"Haynerrrr! C'mon, let's git! We're goin'!"

Sora smiled and grabbed Hayner, and hugged him. "Thank you," he said.

"Naah." Hayner patted Sora's back. "No problem. You stay sharp, 'kay?" Sora looked up at him, and nodded. Hayner smirked and leaned down.

"Can I get another test kiss?"

Sora glared at him. "Not on your life. I'm taken."

"Just checkin'!" Laughed Hayner. "I woulda told Riku to ditch ya if you'da let me do that again, you know?"

"Heyyy!" Sora crossed his arms as he drew back. "Some friend _you_ are!"

"Heh, heh, heh. You have fun, Sora."

Sora nodded. "I will...thanks, Hayner."

Hayner grinned at him. "Keep in touch!"

So Sora went downstairs in his now-completed outfit, and watched Hayner get into his father's car as they drove away. Once again, the house was clear of visitors. Sora spent the rest of his time sitting anxiously in the kitchen or stalking the front windows to watch for Riku driving a car. He didn't have to wait very long. At eleven sharp, just like Riku said, he arrived in a sleek black Sedan. Sora jumped up and rushed in to find his mother, and hugged her, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Riku's here. Gotta go!"

"Okay, have fun, honey."

"I will, Mom. Love you!" Sora burst for the door. Lisa stopped him by shouting, "Wait, Sora!" The brunet froze and turned around, looking at her anxiously.

"Yeah, what?"

Lisa paused for a moment. Then she smiled at him. "Don't have _too_ much fun, okay?"

Sora paused, and cocked his head. _Whaaat? I don't get it._

"S...ure, Mom." Sora perked up again and headed out. "Love you!" Selphie shouted something to him, and Sora told her good-bye quickly before going out to the car. He went straight for the passenger's seat and grinned at Riku.

"Hello!" He said cheerily.

Riku laughed. "You're chipper, I see." Sora smiled at him as he buckled in, and he saw Riku's eyes looking him up and down. His smile widened.

"Like it?"

"You look nice," he said. Sora couldn't make his smile go away. It just got bigger or it stayed on his face. He couldn't help it—he felt so happy.

"Yeah, you do, too!"

Riku was wearing baggy blue jeans and a black shirt under a white jacket with yellow inside lining. The lapels of it looked somehow split and the zipper was more for decoration than anything. The jacket was open both at the top and bottom, and his flat stomach was showing just a little. Riku smiled back at Sora as they turned out of the cul-de-sac.

"Thank you."

Sora let his eyes wander around the interior. "So is this your car?"

Riku snorted. "No, it's my Mom's, because I'm still too lame-slash-poor to have my own. But don't remind me. I'm trying to be cool, here." Riku looked at him. "It'll ruin my chances if you think this is someone else's car."

Sora laughed. "I don't care. You'll have your own eventually, right?" He sighed. "I mean, I've still only got my permit. I was gonna go take my driving test soon."

"Yeah? Good luck with that. The people that test you are really anal. I got points kicked off for not holding the steering wheel right."

"What? How are you supposed to hold it?" Asked Sora. Riku scoffed and put his hands at the eight and four positions—way down at the bottom of the wheel. "Like this," he said. Sora gazed at it, and then his brow creased.

"Mom said she was always taught the ten-and-two rule," he said.

Riku went back to steering with his hands at the top of the wheel. "Bastards changed it because some douchebag bitched about breaking his thumb when the air bag inflated."

Sora laughed. "You don't know that's what happened!"

"Oh, don't I? I can _guarantee_ you that's what happened. Because the world is full of jerk-offs who can't keep their mouths shut."

Sora laughed slightly, and then they both fell silent for a while. Riku kept his eyes on the road as they headed for downtown, and then he cleared his throat.

"So, your mom let you come, did she?"

"Uh-huh." Sora was fidgeting with his shirt. "I had to lie a little bit, but she bought it." He paused. "...She told me not to have _too_ much fun." He scoffed. "Don't know what _that_ means."

Riku, however, laughed and shook his head. "Your mom must be smarter than I gave her credit for."

Sora blinked. "Huh? What?"

Riku shook his head. "Nevermind. Not important." Riku slowed them to a stop as they came to what Sora knew, from riding the bus, was a particularly long red light, and it had just changed. They were silent again, and Sora found himself glancing furtively over at Riku, who was staring intently at the light, waiting for it to change. Sora continued to shift between looking at the light and looking at Riku, and fidgeting with his shirt. Then he stopped fidgeting.

He got a smile on his face and moved the shoulder strap off so he could reach over the seats. Riku turned his head and caught this, and blinked, coiling away slightly. "Hey, what are you doing? I'm at a stop light."

"Oh, bullshit. It takes five minutes to change. I counted one time." He pressed his lips to Riku's, and wrapped one arm around the front of him. Riku grunted as if to protest, though it wasn't long before he gave in and kissed back.

Sora tilted his head for maximum pressure and, when their lips parted open, he slipped his tongue into Riku's mouth and briefly swept their tongues together before pulling back. He kissed him again, this time longer, and then again...Riku reached up to stroke his hair as they made out, and Sora purred in response. He used what he'd learned and sucked lightly on Riku's bottom lip, knowing that he liked that from when they had "experimented".

Just as it was getting good, though, the car behind them blared its horn. Riku jolted and quickly hit the gas to speed ahead before going the speed limit, with Sora still clinging to him. They both laughed, after Sora was done gasping.

"_Five_ minutes, huh?" Riku said with his cheeks a little flushed. "More like _two._"

"I-It was still a long light," Sora grumbled. "It tricked me that time. Really."

Riku chuckled. "Don't do that again, you little sex kitten. You'll get us killed."

Sora sat back down in his own seat and pouted. Riku could see the disappointment on his face, so he smiled and reached over to rub a sensitive spot on Sora's neck with his thumb.

"Don't get upset." He winked at him. "That's what the _end_ of the date is for."

That seemed to cheer Sora up a little. "So, what's at this carnival?"

* * *

Ansem checked his watch nervously on his wrist. The guy that was keeping an eye on him was off somewhere in the corner, but he knew he could feel those eyes on him, making sure he didn't pull anything funny. Not that Ansem was really in the mood to do such a thing. He was so racked up over this case that he didn't feel he had room to pull any stunts. 

Luxord arrived five minutes late, but it was an excusable amount of time. Classical and Jazz were being pumped out of the speakers softly in the Addled Impasse, but it did nothing to calm Ansem's mood. When Luxord sat down with him after buying a latté, he just glanced at the folder of papers the man had with hesitant anticipation.

"I overlooked the case," Luxord explained, "And it seems I'll be able to reasonably push for a fifteen-year sentence if we play our cards right."

Ansem just nodded his head. "Okay." He _looked_ calm enough, but inside he wanted to throttle the little bastard who put him here.

"I can't say I'll be able to completely discharge you, of course. It would be nearly impossible to convince the jury that Riku _wasn't_ raped. Because there's such substantial evidence against you, the best you can do is to plead guilty. That _might_ allow for an extra few years less."

"I'm not going to plead guilty!" cried Ansem. "Are you insane? After caring for that boy for a year and a half, he _enjoyed _what I did!"

Luxord raised an eyebrow. _What a fucked-up client _I'm_ working with,_ he thought. _I'm going to need a lot of Bloody Marys after this._

"Ansem, I think the fact that Riku assaulted you and left you in the hospital with a dislocated jaw and three broken ribs, before stealing your car and fleeing to the next city, soundly proves that he did _not_ appreciate _any_ of the activities you forced upon him."

"He's an ungrateful little bastard is what he is!" Growled Ansem. "I gave him food and shelter and I put clothes on his back. No one else took him in from that agency but me! He should be happy he had a bed to sleep in!" Even though, while Ansem wouldn't admit it, that the fact was Riku slept in the basement on an army cot most of the time.

Luxord gave a stressful sigh and sipped his drink. "So, against my suggestions, you're going to plead not guilty?"

"If that little prick is going to ruin all I gave him, I'm going to make sure he gets a fight."

Luxord sighed again. This time mentally. _He must think he may as well go out stubborn. He'll be braying like a donkey in the court room..._

"Very well. That's going to call for a change of plans." Luxord patted the file in front of him. "So, allow me to explain to you what I'm going to try to do to defend your case."

Ansem checked his watch again. It was twelve forty-three. But this didn't mean anything to him, other than the fact that time suddenly seemed like it was going by much faster.

* * *

By a little after one o'clock, Sora was practically laughing nonstop, talking with Riku, and smiling all the while. They were going to go back to the carnival, but Riku insisted they break at the Addled Impasse, because he said they had better drinks. Besides, it was right nearby—the carnival was two blocks away. The brunet thought it was a little weird, but he wasn't ready to object—he was having too much fun! 

Sora had a stuffed monkey hanging onto him, with its arms around his neck and its legs around his waist, strapped tight by velcro on the hands and feet. Riku won the prize at one of the carnival games, but he'd given it to Sora afterwards when they got some funnel cake. "Monkeys don't suit me, but they work just fine for you." He'd said. Sora had pouted at the time, but he knew Riku was only teasing him.

As they got up in line, Sora was resisting the urge to cling to Riku. He still felt uncomfortable acting completely like a boyfriend in public, because it now occurred to him that there would be eyes that might possibly be staring at them. Riku sometimes discreetly slid an arm around his waist, which Sora allowed. Though he was still antsy about it, especially here.

At the front, Riku looked at Sora. "So what do you wanna get?"

"Um...hot chocolate, I guess."

Riku held up two fingers. "Two hot chocolates, please."

"Sure," the lady said, disappearing to go fix their drinks. Riku looked at Sora.

"You could've gotten that at the carnival." Sora glanced up at him with a wicked grin.

"Well, you could've _eaten_ at the carnival."

"I _did_ eat at the carnival."

"Yeah, but you won't drink there? You're _weird._"

"Hey, hey. I've been here a couple of times, okay? And I like it. Bad memories on occasion, but I still like it."

Sora paused for a moment, and then he frowned. "Ansem took you here, didn't he?"

Riku cast his eyes off to the corner. He didn't look happy, but he didn't tell Sora to change the subject. "Sometimes. When he was in a good mood."

Sora could sense the slight change in Riku's mood. As a result, he slid his hand to Riku's secretly and clasped it. The silver-haired teen squeezed it back. As if it were an afterthought, Riku added, "This was his favorite place to 'reward' me for good behavior."

The brunet couldn't suppress a shudder. God only knows what "reward" meant in Ansem's twisted mind.

They were soon given the two hot chocolates they requested, and Riku paid the cashier what he had to in order to cover it, accepting change. He turned and they were about to move out to go find a seat, when he froze. Sora had to turn around to stare at him. "Riku, what's up? Come on, let's go sit."

* * *

But Riku couldn't go sit. There, right out there in front of him, was Ansem. There were mixed feelings that came with this. The first one was that he was scared. Second, he was angry. Third, he was downright flustered. _What the fuck is HE doing here? _He saw a blond-haired man with him who was wearing a dice earring in his ear and sipping a drink. They looked to be talking about something. The blond was very business-like. 

Sora approached him, looking between him and the crowd. "Riku? Are you okay?"

"He's here," Riku hissed. He started to grip the steaming-hot cup in his hand a little harder. Sora, confused, scanned the tables—and then his eyes were on the same one Riku was staring at. Sora tugged at him.

"Come on, let's go outside," he said gently. Riku didn't hear him. He started to squeeze the cup...

"...! R-Riku...hey! You're gonna break the—"

_Pop!_ The top slid off and the cup crumpled and tore, and piping-hot chocolate spilled all over Riku's hand. Riku yelped loudly in pain and sucked on the bridge of his hand between his thumb and pointer finger, dropping the cup to the floor. Sora cursed and grabbed a fat handful of napkins and started to clean the mess up. Feeling guilty, Riku helped, but was shooting glares at Ansem as he did. Ansem was staring right back at him, apparently staggered that the other was here. Riku had half a mind to just storm over there and scream at him...

But Sora grabbed him and pulled him up before that could happen. Throwing the napkins away, Sora took Riku's good hand and his own drink and said, "Come on, let's go." And, dumbly, Riku followed him out of the shop. As soon as they were outside, Sora was fussing over his hand.

"Are you okay? Is your hand hurt?"

"It's fine," Riku growled, though he still tenderly sucked the side of it, and the skin was a little red from the hot drink spilling on it. Sora's eyes gazed up at him worriedly.

"Do you need some ice for it?"

"It's fine!"

Sora drew back shyly. "Okay, but..."

Riku closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He sighed, exhaling it, and then he worked on relaxing his tensed-up hand. Truthfully, it really _wasn't_ that bad. The skin was hot and red, but the chocolate hadn't been _that_ heated up. Still, seeing Ansem in the shop had made him jumpy, and he was just now beginning to realize that.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to snap at you like that. It's just..."

Sora only nodded his head, a sympathetic look in his eyes. "Yeah. I understand."

Riku clenched and unclenched his fingers, while Sora held onto his arm out of concern. He tilted his head and nestled it against Riku's shoulder. "Do you want to go back to the carnival?"

After a pause of thought, Riku got a sorry look on his face and shook his head. "No...I can't...I'm sorry. Not with him being that close, not even if it's for a half hour."

"That's fine. We'll go back then."

Riku sighed again and turned his gaze down onto the brunet. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to ruin it like this. I was hoping we'd have a little more fun."

Sora smiled at him. "What, you think you're taking me home?" He snickered. "We still have a couple of hours to kill. Now I have an excuse to come over to your place, right?"

When the thought crossed him, Riku's lips curved upwards slightly. "I guess you do," he murmured. "Alright, we'll go kill some time at my house." He led Sora back to the car, and started it up, heading for home. On the way there, Sora hugged his monkey in his lap and then looked over at Riku with a grin on his face.

"Hey, when we get there, can we do the stuff you wouldn't let me do to you at the stop light?"

Riku laughed. "Sure, we can do that."

Sora couldn't even hold out for the door, apparently. Before they entered the house, Riku was almost pinned against his seat as Sora gave him a few deep kisses. Riku chuckled at him. "You're just all over me today, aren't you?"

"I can't help it! I just look at you, and all I wanna do is kiss you."

Riku smiled, humming in the back of his throat and ruffling Sora's hair gently, kissing his cheek. "That must mean you really love me, then." To which Sora giggled at him with a cheeky smile, and replied:

"I do love you."

Riku just kissed Sora's lips again before unbuckling. "Come on, before my Mom thinks we're gonna try something funny." Sora laughed at this and they walked out of the car, with their elbows linked (at Sora's discretion to take Riku's arm). Riku opened up the door and they went inside, and the silver-haired teen called, "Mom! I'm home!"

"Oh, good! Come in here, I'd like to introduce you to someone." Tifa stood up and they met in the living room, where Riku had been heading, and Tifa was right by the couch with a woman who had her pitch-black hair done up in a bun, her bangs hanging over one side of her face. Sora noticed her in her business-like suit and cocked his head. _Where have I seen that face before?_

Riku was thinking a similar thing. "Mom, who's this?"

"This is who I wanted to introduce you to!" Tifa frowned. "I didn't know you'd get back this early. And you brought Sora? What happened? The carnival got boring?"

"Riku had a little scare at the coffee shop." Sora explained. Riku elaborated by adding, "I saw Ansem at one of the tables, and I kinda flipped out."

Tifa nodded. "Ah, well, it's good that you came back, then." She clapped her hands together. "But anyway! Riku, this is Lulu, and she's going to be your attorney for the case."

Sora gasped out loud and shook a finger that he was pointing at Lulu. "Ohhh _thaaat's_ where I've seen you before! See, my friend gave me your business card and I gave it to Riku..."

Lulu smiled cooly in amusement and she stood up, going over to the two boys. "I'm glad that I was referred here. I'm more than happy to defend your case." She held her hand out to Riku. "You must be Riku."

"The one and only," Riku said, somewhat sarcastically, and shook hands with her. Lulu turned her eyes to Sora.

"And who is this?"

Riku wound his arm around Sora's waist. "This is Sora." He then added, with an air of pride, "My boyfriend." Sora blushed a little at this and ducked his head down shyly. Lulu smiled at him.

"It's nice to meet you, Sora."

"You, too, ma'am." Sora shook hands with her. Tifa had a big smile on her face.

"Hey, Riku, do you think it would be too much trouble to spare a few minutes to talk with Lulu? She really wanted to discuss some things about the case with you."

Riku frowned, and so did Sora. "Will it take very long?" Riku asked. Lulu's eyes darted between Riku and Sora, only for a second, but it was clear she knew why he was asking.

"Not at all. I only need maybe ten minutes of your time." She checked a watch sitting on the underside of her wrist. "I'm on a lunch date with a girl friend of mine soon, anyway, so all the more reason for me to make this quick."

"Can I sit in on it?" Sora asked. Lulu creased her brow, and flicked back strands of hair that got in the way of her eye and shrugged.

"I'm sorry, normally this is something that is just between me and the client. It's not you, it's business. I'm afraid it would be best if you not be in the room."

Sora looked disappointed. "Oh. Okay."

Riku squeezed him around his middle. "It's fine, Sora. She said it wouldn't be long. You can wait for me upstairs or in the kitchen or something."

The brunet still didn't seem satisfied with this, but he did nod his head in agreement and find his way to the kitchen to pull up a chair and wait with his head on the table while Riku sat down in the living room with Tifa and Lulu.

"So, Miss Sykes—"

Lulu raised a courteous hand a few inches from her lap. "Just 'Lulu' is fine."

"—Lulu," Riku corrected, "What's the game plan for this whole deal goin' on?"

_

* * *

_

**Author's Notes:** By the way, if I miss a day (I'm sure nobody cares), it's because I'm staying at my sister's right now for the weekend of the Fourth and there's lotsa family stuff goin' on. But you guys know I can't stay away for that long. It gets lonely when my Inbox has no messages. :(_  
_


	48. Ch 48: Justice Sentenced

**Author's Notes: **(groan.) I'm not at all confident with this opening at the end of the chapter.

Anyone who knows more about court stuff than I do, please try not to be picky. I'm doing my very best to make this realistic. It probably won't be all that close. So let me wither and moan over how terrible this is in comparison to how the REAL court room works, and just try to enjoy it.

Finally, things begin to wrap up.

Someone asked about the contest again. Yes, the fanart has to be of this story, because that's what the contest is, silly. ;) So pick one of your favorite scenes and send it in to me._ By e-mail._ Just in case anyone asks again!_ And it's in my profile_...just in case anyone asks again! Ha ha ha.

Enjoy the chapter. Sorta short, but oh well.

**EDIT:** Thank you SO much, Echo! I've fixed the beginning of the court portion in this chapter to be a little more set to real life. My GOD, that really WAS an eyesore. See, what did I tell you?

* * *

Chapter 48

_"Justice Sentenced"_

Cloud looked up when the phone rang again, and he sighed. Damn tabloids, why wouldn't they ever give up? He threw the covers off of him, grumbling, and adjusted the oversized robe he was wearing. (_I really should get rid of this,_ he thought.) He stomped into the kitchen and picked the phone up off the receiver.

"You're _not_ getting any interviews from me, so if you _bastards_ are still outside on my front lawn, you better get back into your fucking cars and _leave_ before I call the cops!"

"...I feel sorry for the poor bastards who must be outside on your front lawn."

The fired model blinked. Then the voice registered in his head, and he resisted the urge to gasp. "Shit...Leon! I'm sorry, I thought you were those stupid newspaper fuckers..."

"Are they bothering you again?"

Cloud sighed. "_Constantly. _Apparently wanting to know how long I'll be living off my bank savings before I go broke and when I'll sell the house."

Leon scoffed on the other end of the line. "Did anyone look at it yet?"

"It only just went up for sale. I started cleaning up to make the place look nice for any possible clients."

"Are you kidding? That place actually needs cleaning?"

Cloud groaned. "Well, I just gave back all the kids that used to live in it..." he paused, and an awkward silence followed that. _That's right,_ he thought, _they're not going to come back..._

He thought he could hear Leon swallowing. "How are you doing with that?" He asked.

"You mean...with the kids?" Cloud chuckled weakly. "It's...very...quiet." He shifted his weight to one side, his hips swaying, and ran his fingers through his hair. "Seifer's gone, even. And Fuu and Rai. Everyone but me..." he sighed. "It's very quiet," he said again.

"It must have been hard, sending all of them back to their agencies."

Cloud managed to smile. "They raised up such a fuss." He chuckled, "The little ones were hanging onto my legs like monkeys. I almost had to pry them off with a wrench or something."

"...Are you going to be okay?"

Cloud blinked. "Okay? What do you mean by that?"

Leon waited a moment before responding. "I saw what you were like with those kids. I think you must have loved them more than anything...so...I'm wondering if you're going to be alright with it. Living without them."

Cloud furrowed his brow and sighed, exhaling through his nose. "I'm sure I'll get over it," he said sadly. He cast his eyes to the side somewhere.

"You don't sound so sure."

"Well, I'm going to miss them." Cloud tucked a loose blond strand behind his ear. "I really loved those kids..."

_Flash, flash, flash._

Cloud blinked at the blinding lights and turned to the window. The curtain was open, and there were the tabloids, snapping photos of him like he was a trophy on display. He narrowed his eyes and a deadly glare was sent their way, and he hissed, storming over and closing the curtains. _Even when I'm _not_ a model, they insist on invading my privacy!_

"Something wrong?"

"Listen, Leon..." Cloud shook his head. "I'll have to call you back."

"Why? What happened?"

Cloud grumbled, "Those fuckers really _are_ on my front lawn."

"Hmmm," grunted Leon. "I understand."

Cloud was about to hang up when a thought crossed his mind. _Should I...?_ He frowned, creasing his brow as he considered it. What if there was a wire tap on?

...Aw, hell. Why did he even care anymore?

"Wait a minute—Leon!" He didn't hear the other hang up, but he wasn't entirely sure.

"Yes?"

Cloud swallowed the nervous lump in his throat, and sighed. _I really shouldn't be going this fast. I should be taking some time to settle down first. But..._

"...Would you, uh...would you like to schedule a lunch date...sometime?"

When there was silence on the other end, Cloud didn't know if Leon was surprised, or curious, or what. It was difficult even for him to picture the look on the other's face. When he'd met Leon in person, finally, he'd realized just how hard to read the other was.

"...I'm free on Tuesday. Is that a good time for you?"

Cloud smiled.

"I think that would be good. Where should we meet?"

"I don't know. Depends on what city we're meeting in."

The blond winced. _That's right, I forgot how far apart we are..._

"Well, uh..." he racked his brain. Where would be a good place? He didn't want to make either of them drive all that way. Then it hit him._ Ooh, that would be good!_

"There's this little place downtown here that's pretty good. It has a bar and the food is good...it's called the...uh...something-or-other Garden. Radiant Garden?"

Leon paused. "...Cloud...Radiant Garden is a titty bar."

Cloud felt the record scratch on his brain and stamped his foot frustratedly, cheeks burning red. "E-Er, I mean, uh...shit! What's it called...aagh!" Then he gasped. "B-Balamb! _Balamb_ Garden! _That's_ the place! I'm sorry..."

He heard the other snickering. "So, Balamb Garden, not Radiant Garden?"

Cloud groaned again, still feeling his cheeks burn red from that slip-up. _That would've been a disaster for sure! _"Yes..._Balamb_ Garden..." he added hurriedly, "I-It should be a little closer to where you are, because, you know, I live in the northern part of the city. So you won't have to drive as far...that's good, right?"

"It's fine," Leon said. "So Tuesday at the Balamb Garden...say around eleven?"

_Eleven? That's a little early..._

Leon seemed to be reading his thoughts. "Or noon, if that works better for you."

"Uh...how about 11:30?"

"Okay."

Cloud blinked. _Wow, he's really easy to work with._

"Okay...so, Tuesday at 11:30."

"I'll see you then, Cloud."

The blond could feel the blush in his cheeks beginning to dissipate, and he nodded. "See you then," he said, and then he hung up.

* * *

Auron sighed and checked his watch. It was about eleven right now. All he could think was that he couldn't wait to get out of this court room. Not that he was as eager to serve up a sentence as the attorneys were—that was his job as a judge—but today he was just especially restless, so he was doing his best not to sound agitated. He fixed the long black robes on his arms and rubbed at his bad eye, which had been scarred some time ago in an accident. He could barely open it, and he had a tendency to squint. 

He was looking at a dark-skinned man who was being accused of rape and abuse, and a teenage kid with silver hair. The opposing lawyers were a man with blond hair, whom he recognized as Luxord, and a woman who looked like a shark. Her hair was pulled back in a jet-black bun, and she wore a business suit with long, dark-blue sleeves and a matching skirt that reached her knees. She had on a pair of high-heels and her bust was thrust out with pride. She looked rather confident in herself. Auron wasn't sure who she was, but she appeared to be a new face. Lulu Sykes, wasn't it?

Auron looked over the papers in front of him, squinting like he often did. "People versus Ansem Atercor; the Defendant is pressed with charges of child abuse, negligence, and rape." _I can only imagine how ugly _this_ is going to be, then, _Auron thought. He looked up and peered at Ansem and Luxord. "How do you plead?"

"Not guilty, Your Honor." Luxord said cooly. Auron grunted and took his reading glasses off the bridge of his nose. _I'm getting too old for this,_ he grumbled.

"Bail is set at?" He questioned.

"The People advise that bail for the Defendant be set at ten thousand dollars."

"Objection, Your Honor." Luxord argued. "My client has already been charged with a restraining order against the Plaintiff. He is under constant surveillance to be sure that order is upheld."

"Your Honor, with all due respect," Lulu said, "The Defendant has been abusing my client for four years, and God only knows what he's done to all the other children he's adopted prior to my client's negligence under his care—though you could hardly call it that."

"Is there any relation to the case in this, Your Honor?"

"My point is," Lulu continued, "The Defendant is a danger to the community. There are several young children and teenage boys living in his neighborhood. He should not be allowed to walk freely if there is the danger that he will rape another child."

Auron held back a sigh. "The Defendant is already under a restraining order against the Plaintiff, you say."

"Yes, Your Honor," said Luxord, "At the request of the Plaintiff's mother."

Auron grunted. "The People raise a point. Mister Atercor is a liable danger to the children in his community."

"Your Honor, the People cannot prove that my client has raped or abused any children prior to the Plaintiff."

"Objection." Lulu held up a thin stack of papers. "Several of the children who were previously adopted by Ansem have recently stepped forward to confirm his alleged abusive and pedophilic tendencies. One little girl even described how he allegedly made her, quote," she read this from the paper, " 'Drink his 'milk' semen out of a pet dish.' End quote."

At this point, Ansem was glaring death at Lulu, and Riku was glaring back at him. The sparks were flying, and Riku was barely able to stand waiting there in his suit. He hated the suit. It was dark-blue, like Lulu's. ("Blue makes you look truthful," his mother said.)

"I think that's enough, Miss Sykes." Auron groaned, looking a little disgusted at the quote. He raised up his gavel. "The proof is void. Mister Atercor may have a _personal_ history of sexual abuse, but he has never been charged of those claims previously; therefore, it is not an _official _history. Bail will be set at ten thousand dollars. Should the Defendant be granted bail, he is under court order to keep his word against the restraining order. Court Date is set on Friday, September twentieth." He smacked his gavel down, and the crowd in the court room rose up to disperse. It wasn't very many people—hardly anyone came to see Ansem, for his side of the court room was nearly empty. However, Riku's mother was present, as were some of his close friends and their family.

Ansem was escorted out by the police, and was still glaring over his shoulder as he left.

* * *

Sora got up from his seat in the court room as Riku began to finally relax. He walked back into the crowd, and Sora met him with an almost crushing hug. Riku hugged him back, and Tidus and Roxas watched as they bit back the urge to tease them. Lisa just looked on with a sort of quiet smile on her face, while Sora's father just seemed confused. 

"Man, it's on a Friday." Sora grumbled, looking up at him. "That would've been a good night to meet up."

"I'll be free any other time, you know." Riku said. "Oh, and I'm going back to school tomorrow. Mom's making me."

Sora laughed. "Yeah, mine too. So maybe I'll see you at school."

"For sure," Riku agreed, nodding his head. He ruffled Sora's hair and kissed his forehead. "So I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay," Sora said. He waved at Riku as he watched him leave, and then looked at his parents. Then he frowned.

"Sora," his father said cautiously, "Did Riku just _kiss_ you?"

Sora blushed. _Uh-oh. I forgot they were there..._

"Honey," Lisa said gently with a smile, "I don't mean to sound angry, obviously. But I think that when we get home, you'll have a bit of explaining to do."


	49. Ch 49: Step It Up In Invitation

**Author's Notes:** Well, I just couldn't stand going without updating for more than a day. I wanted to write ahead a little bit...and I sort of succeeded, but I sort of didn't. All I can say is that Chapter 50 will have a nice little surprise and that its alternate version will be available on my LiveJournal.

I feel like I half-assed the job with the talk between Sora and his parents. I was going to originally omit it altogether, since it didn't seem that important, but my reviewers kept saying how they were so revved up and curious to see what would happen and what the reaction would be and yada yada yada...so I added it in. You can say goodbye to Kairi, though. Kairi's gone.

But you know...now that I think about it...in the second game, she actually _does _look really..._pretty_. Like, in the first game, she was just this big bubble-headed little fourteen-year-old girl, and now she's fifteen, and she's actually got a figure and a nice face, and her hair's subtled out to this nice reddish-brown...I actually like it. I can actually stand to look at her now. Plus her outfit's way cooler.

I now have three entries so far in the contest, from Daenis TooShy, Lee, and nummycreampuff, respectively. All are good entries, but does anyone have any competition to give them, hmmmm? Also, someone asked me how many chapters they thought would be in this story. Honestly, I truly cannot say for sure. It could definitely be well over 50 chapters, though. (This is such a LONG story! I'm sorry, it must be agonizing to read through when you're a first-timer.) That's why I'm trying to write at least two or three chapters ahead, so I can give warning when we're nearing completion...as well as the end of the contest.

We've cleared 600 reviews - WOW! Thank you so much, you guys, for all the support you've given me. It's been a great pleasure writing this and I'm so happy that people like this. It really makes my day to check my e-mail and find all those reviews sitting in my Inbox; really. Thanks a lot!

* * *

Chapter 49

_"Step It Up In Invitation"_

Sora was still squirming on the couch. Thank God Selphie wasn't there, at least. Then again, he had a feeling his parents would be explaining this to Selphie later, and then she'd go around telling everyone, "My big brother likes boys!"

"So, Sora," his mother said gently, "Just how long have you been 'seeing' Riku?"

Sora looked down. "Uhm...s-since we took off..." he noticed that he said "we" and not "he", which would have been more accurate, since Riku was doing the running away and he was just a tag-along.

"Well, you know my feelings about him..."

"Sora, he kidnapped you."

Sora looked up and growled. "He did _not_ kidnap me, Dad! He was just scared. He thought I would get hurt if I stayed behind, that's all..." he licked his lips. "He really _does_ care for me."

"It's still a kidnapping." His father said. "And all the same, we're surprised. You never told us that you were...gay."

Sora groaned. His father was saying "gay" with a very off tone, like he hardly knew who his own son was anymore. Thankfully, his mother had been more understanding. Just not very happy that he'd picked Riku, out of anyone he could have been with.

"Honestly, I didn't really know myself, until Riku..." he paused. "Well, until I moved here. That was _sort of _when it started..."

Lisa sighed. "You really hurt Kairi's feelings."

Sora bowed his head low and whimpered, "I knooowww. I tried not to do too much damage, okay? Don't remind me."

"Did you tell her the whole situation, Sora?"

Sora gulped. "No..."

"I'm disappointed in you! You could have at least told her the truth!"

"I'm sorryyy!" Sora whined. "I didn't want to hurt her _that_ badly! She'd break down and cry! I didn't wanna see that..."

His mother sighed. "What is it that you see in Riku, exactly? Because lately, what he's been doing has been telling me he's not exactly a good match for you."

Sora's father cleared his throat as if a point of his had been proven, and Sora leered at him. "Don't give me that look," John scolded. Sora pouted.

"He's nice, he's funny...he just makes me happy. _That's_ what I see in him."

Lisa crossed her arms and leaned back. "Well...I still don't trust him, but I suppose I can't keep you from him. As long as he doesn't hurt you..." she sighed. "I suppose I shouldn't be too harsh. You _are_ my son, after all." She smiled. "And whatever the case, I'll support you, because I love you." Here, she elbowed her husband sharply in the side. John startled.

"E-Er, y-yes." He cleared his throat. "We're by your side no matter what, son." Lisa gave her husband and approving smile, but underneath that, John could still pick up on the fire-eyed glare she gave him in case he should slip up or make Sora feel awkward.

Sora smiled a little bit, but he still shifted nervously. "So...that's it?"

Lisa laughed. "Yes, that's it, Sora. Now go on up to bed. It's late, and you're going back to school tomorrow."

_Late? It's only 9:30. _Sora didn't argue, though, so he got up and went upstairs to his room. Snatching the phone on the way there. When he got to his bed, he closed the door behind him and dialed Tidus.

"Herro!" Called the blond on the other end.

"Tidus! Hi."

"So, how'd 'The Big Talk' go?"

Sora shrugged, rolling onto his back. "It went...okay, I guess. My Dad's a little weirded out, but my Mom is okay with it, aside from the fact that I'm dating Riku."

"Heh, heh, heh. You're gonna have quite a story to share when you get to school."

"Oh, yeah, I'm going back tomorrow." Sora nodded. "Me and Riku. I guess we'll have to dispel all the rumors?"

"And prove some!" Tidus exclaimed. "Some of the people _already_ think you guys are gay."

Sora blushed. "Well, I guess those people are right..."

Tidus paused for a while, and then Sora heard him snickering. "Lulu did a good job, don'tcha think?"

Sora shrugged again. "I don't know; we'll see."

"We'll see? _We'll see?_" Challenged Tidus. "Lulu is _totally_ gonna kick Ansem's sorry, twisted, sicko ass!"

The brunet smiled again. "Yeah, I don't think Ansem's gonna walk with this one." He admitted.

"Mwahahaha. We'll be watchin' that, yeah? I'll see you at school tomorrow, man."

* * *

_Oh, God. School._

Sora hadn't even been here five minutes, and already there were eyes. Everywhere. Staring at him. From every corner of every hallway at every locker on every floor. It was _invasive._ Everyone had this bewildered look on their faces, like he was a ghost come back from the dead. He shifted his backpack nervously on his shoulder, wearing his blue denim jacket over a black tank top with a sketchy skull on it. Hayner had a shirt just like it. With it he was wearing dark blue jeans and tennis shoes, and that crown necklace he loved. Nobody cared. They just saw him, and they were all probably thinking, _Oh God! It's SORA!_

"Soraaa! Heyyy!" Sora groaned at his name, and turned around, expecting someone to pummel him with questions about what had happened. Instead, he was shocked to see that it was Wakka, rushing up and suddenly giving him a crushing hug that made him lose all his air.

"You alive, man! We all got worried sick over you, ya? How you feelin'?" Wakka slapped Sora's back, and Sora lurched forward with a cough. He'd forgotten how rough Wakka could be—he hadn't known the other that long, but he found he'd gotten well-acquainted with the Latino-esque boy's brute strength.

"F...Fine..." Sora coughed again, "Th-thank you."

Wakka slapped his back again. Sora cringed but stood up straight. This wasn't right—he could feel those hits through the cushioning of his backpack!

"Everyone's talkin' about you and Riku, ya. They think Riku mighta raped you or some shit like that. So I say, 'Hey, you can't blame the guy for everything, ya?' 'Cause that crazy foster guy hurt 'im for so long, ya!"

Sora was also quickly reminded of Wakka's habit of saying "ya" at the end of most of his sentences. He apparently did this more often when a friend returned safely from something, because he could never remember hearing it this much.

"R-Riku didn't rape me," he murmured as they walked.

Big mistake.

"He _didn't?_"

"So what'd he _do?_"

"Yeah, Riku won't let slip a word!"

"Tell us what happened, Sora!"

"Are you gay?"

"Are you dating him?"

"Did you guys have sex already!"

"No, no, no, _no!_ GAH!" Sora flung his arms around him wildly in a sudden hyperactive spurt, flailing about and spreading out the crowd. "Get away from me!_ God!_ You freaking bunch of _buzzards!_ Picking at my remains and demanding my words! I HAVE NO TIME FOR SUCH _ANIMOSITY!_"

Wakka laughed and pushed some of the people back. "Give the guy some room to breathe, ya?"

"Shut up, Wakka!"

"Yeah, Sora knows answers and he'll probably give them to us!"

"Are you gay, Sora?"

"For God's sake!" Sora wailed. "I'm _not_ going to tell you if I'm gay! That's my _own_ business!"

Some girls turned and whispered to each other ("whispered"; Sora could clearly hear them), "That's okay, if he won't tell us, all we have to do is watch him!"

"Uh-huh! If he starts clinging to Riku and they act all mushy..."

The two girls did a collective fangirl squeal, and that did it. Sora shoved past Wakka. "Sorry!" He told him. "I need to go to class!"

_I can't believe how bad it is here! These freaks have no manners!_ Sora was practically blowing steam out his ears as he trudged off to class. _It was NEVER this bad in the country. When I turn eighteen, I'm moving someplace where it's nice and cozy and QUIET!_ He grumbled and shifted his backpack on his shoulders. A very plain-looking girl with books in her arms made the mistake of walking up to him.

"Sora. Uh...hi. I heard about what happened with you and Riku, and—"

"Can't talk, sorry." He snapped, walking right past her. She blinked at him for a moment, and then shrank back into the crowd. Sora burst into the Auxilary Gym for first period P.E., and tossed his backpack down in his squad spot and sat down with his arms sternly crossed, huffing. Saix, the gym teacher, glanced over at him while he checked things off on his clipboard.

"Glad to have you back, Sora." He said.

Sora sighed. "Yeah, who isn't?" He grumbled.

"Ah, kids. Just try not to let them get to you." Saix tapped his pen on his clipboard. "I'm afraid I'm not the type to dodge around the bush, so allow me to be painfully blunt instead. You've missed a couple of quizzes and some handouts on activities. I'll hand them to you by the end of class. We've been playing soccer as a major activity since last week, so if you don't know the rules, you should ask one of your classmates."

This calmed Sora down slightly, though it now weighed him with concern over having to catch up with what he'd missed. _Dammit, Riku! _He cursed in his mind. _Well, at least I won't be the only one to suffer. So you'd better be getting as much work as I am!_

"Thank you, Mr. S." Muttered the brunet. Saix 'hmm'd and turned his back on the other, but then turned around again. "Oh, by the way," he said, "I hope all goes well for you in the future, considering the chaos as of late."

Sora just sighed and fell back to stare at the gym ceiling. "I hope so, too." He mumbled.

Sora spent most of the spare morning minutes he had relaxing in the gym. Hardly anybody showed up except for a few people, and when he got bored he tried walking around, though he hardly left even the gym doors outside. When there were fifteen minutes left before the warning bell, someone tapped him on the shoulder. He twirled around, biting on his thumbnail, and blinked.

"R-Riku!"

Riku waved a casual hand. "Yo."

The brunet smiled. "What are you doing here!"

The other teen shouldered his backpack. "I'm attending classes, silly."

"I know that," groaned Sora, "I mean, what are you doing down here? Isn't your class up there?" He pointed to the second floor upstairs. Riku smiled at him and laughed.

"Am I not allowed to come visit you?"

Sora frowned. "What about all the people?"

Riku looked around them. "What? You mean these guys?" Some of them were staring at the two boys, but for the most part, in this section of the school, people were in their own little cliques and minding their business. Riku smirked. "I don't think they really care."

Sora grumbled and pouted. "They _ambushed_ me."

"Awww, poor baby," Riku teased, "Does the baby want a hug?"

"The baby wants a _space bubble_ so he can keep out all the nasty gossip freaks!"

Riku laughed again. He reached up and tapped Sora's nose with his finger, making the brunet go cross-eyed for a second. "But if you put yourself in a bubble, then I won't get to have fun with you," he said pointedly. Sora looked up at him and frowned.

"Knowing us, I think we'd find a way around that," he said. Riku smiled at him.

"Oh, I'm sure. Take this, for instance...follow me." He turned on his heel and started walking. Intrigued, Sora blinked and followed doggedly after, keeping up perfectly at Riku's side.

"Where are we going?"

"Just somewhere."

Sora frowned. "And this somewhere would be...?"

Riku chuckled. "You'll see. Couples use it all the time for privacy. Nobody uses it in the morning."

"That still doesn't answer my question..."

Riku stopped as they walked down the hallways and, with a sigh, turned and said to Sora with a deadpan face: "It's a totally abandoned part of the school that's still under renovations. There. Are you happy?"

Sora grinned cheekily. "Yep! Super!"

Riku shook his head. "You _totally_ just made that sound less romantic," he mused.

The brunet smiled and continued following, but just as they got there, he stopped. "Wait! What if someone finds out about this? Everyone's gonna bug us!"

Riku sighed again. "Sora, I'll tell you right now that it's no damn secret we're going out, and we just got back to this school today."

Sora's eyes widened and he paled. "Did you _tell_ someone!" He cried. Riku's eyes scrunched and he shook his head.

"Nooo!" He groaned. "_Hell,_ no! That's just how high school_ works,_ Sora. Get with the program. By tomorrow, every gay guy, fag hag and queer-hater is going to know about _us._ Okay? It's _school._ Things don't stay secret for long."

The ocean-eyed brunet pouted again and looked down at his shoes. "Well, that sorta sucks..."

Riku took Sora by the hand and drew him into a dark little corner where the walls were still boarded-up wood and half-bricked, unpainted, and it still smelled like wood chips. "And that's why we've got our own little Make-Out Point." He said. "Besides, we can talk here and no one will disturb us."

Sora looked up. "You promise?"

"Absolutely. Anyone comes in to fuck up our shit, and they'll go home with a black eye."

That made Sora laugh._ Still the same old Riku,_ he thought. _Ready to pummel anyone who he sees as a threat._

The silver-haired teen looped an arm around Sora's middle and drew him close. They both leaned back against a wall, which turned into Riku against the wall, with Sora against him, looking up. "So let's talk," Riku suggested. "There are a couple of things I wanted to say." He smiled and stroked Sora's cheek, kissing him briefly. "First of all...I thought you might wanna come home with me sometime this week."

Sora's eyes lidded half-shut as Riku gave him another short, sweet kiss, and he smiled dreamily. "Sure. I think my Mom will be a little upset, but if I tell her your mom will be home, I don't think she'll mind."

Riku scoffed. "My Mother works late nights. I doubt she'll be home."

Sora shrugged. "So? I'll lie."

Riku grinned, and tapped Sora's nose again. "See! You're getting the hang of this already. Sneaking around like a pro."

"How's Wednesday sound?"

"I think that sounds just fine."

Sora purred and snuggled cozily against Riku's body, and Riku stroked his fingers through the brunet's chestnut hair. They looked at each other for a moment, and then Sora stood up on his toes in order to reach Riku himself—he had almost forgotten how signifigant those few inches on Riku's height were in comparison to himself. He pressed his lips firmly against the other's, and Riku kissed back with equal fervor. They immediately skipped all steps and went right for the "good part"; Sora parted his lips willingly for Riku's tongue to enter, and they both engaged in a short duel, though Riku quickly won and drew Sora's tongue into his own mouth. Sora tilted his head to get better access and, ending the kiss with a soft smack, he lingered by nibbling on Riku's bottom lip.

The older teen hummed pleasantly and shifted to hold Sora tighter, kissing him again. "And..." a kiss. "Another thing..." (_Damn, I can barely get a word in!_ Riku thought. _Ah, hell..._) They parted again, and Riku craned his neck down to kiss Sora's jaw. "Mmm," he purred, "I wanna ask you something."

Sora arched as Riku nipped his earlobe. "Yes?"

Here Riku suddenly stopped and held Sora at half his arm's length, looking at him sternly in the face. Sora blinked, and his bottom lip thrust out in a small pout, disappointed at the abrupt lack of contact.

"Do you want to take this slow?"

Now Sora was _really_ confused. "Take it slow?" He wondered. "Whaddya mean by that?"

Riku frowned, glancing at him sideways. "Do you want me to back off, to chill out, go any slower with this...? What? What's a good pace?"

Sora blinked again—several times. Then his face cracked into a goofy smile and he giggled.

"Riku, what are you talking about? I'm _happy_ like this."

"You're joking!" Riku held Sora further away from him dubiously. "You're not at all freaked out about the lightning pace we're taking? For Chrissakes, we already hit third base!" Riku peered at Sora sideways again. "Do you know how long it usually takes a normal couple to hit third base?"

"Third base?" Sora wondered.

"Naked in bed with no sex."

Sora blushed. "B-But that was before it was official, wasn't it?"

Riku sighed and cornered Sora against the wall, groaning as if distressed. "Sooraaa, you're such a _pleaser!_"

Sora snorted. "I'm a _what?_"

"A pleaser! As in, a people pleaser!"

"But..." Sora shook his head. "...Seriously, Riku, I don't _care._" He frowned. "I mean, if it's what makes you happy..."

Riku pressed up against Sora then, until his knee was practically rubbing the other's groin. Sora yelped and tensed up. "I don't want to know what I want, Sora. I already _know_ what I want. I want to know what _you_ want."

Sora shook his head, reaching up and looping his arms around Riku's neck, and Riku stared at him with firmly riveted caribbean eyes.

"Riku," he said, "As far as I'm concerned, everything just feels _right._ You know? So...let's just..." Sora shrugged, "...Let's just..._go._"

Riku didn't act happy with that. Well, maybe half-happy. He sighed yet again and nuzzled Sora's neck, wrapping him into arms again.

"Please, please, _please_ fix that quirk of yours," he whispered. "If you grow up acting like that, the world will make shark meat out of you." He paused, then added, "Or just a doormat."

Sora grinned. "Yeah, yeah. Only around you. You'll probably be the one sitting on the couch asking me to bring you a beer—and I'll be dutifully fetching it for you and expecting praise or something."

Riku chuckled and kissed the corner of Sora's mouth. "I do know one thing. You're an _eager_ little bastard."

Sora stood up on his toes again and pecked Riku's cheek. "So," he asked curiously, "You said you already know what you want. Well...what _do_ you know you want?"

The older teen cocked an eyebrow. Then, with a vicious smirk, Riku cornered Sora up against the wall and leaned down, pressing his lips against the other's ear. His voice dropped low, and he said in a whisper:

"What I want, Sora, is to see you shuddering with every _breath_ you take while I fuck you into the bed...I want to hear you begging for more, and crying my name..." And Sora _did_ shudder, just hearing the way Riku said it, and the other nipped the lobe of his ear and murmured, "_That's_ what I want."

_He's...blunt! _Was all Sora thought, his cheeks reddening again. _But the way he said it...gah! He makes everything sound so good!_

Riku chuckled when he was finished, amused by Sora's reaction. "But we don't have to do it right away." He kissed the younger one's forehead. "That can wait."

Sora frowned at him. "Who says?" He wound his arms around Riku. "I'll do it. Whenever we want. I like what you do to me, Riku." He reached up and nuzzled the other's neck. "You make me feel..." he paused, running into a bump, "...I dunno..."

"Sexy?" Riku finished for him.

Sora nodded. "Mmm...I guess that describes it."

Riku smirked. "That's 'cause that's exactly what you are."

The brunet smiled a cheeky smile. "Hee hee," he giggled. He was about to say something more when the bell rang. Sora blinked and looked up at the ceiling. "Didn't that ring a little early?"

"It doesn't matter. We won't be late." Riku winked. "Shall I escort you, or are you going to fend off the masses by yourself?"

Sora groaned, and hugged Riku's arm. "Take meeee." He whined cutely. "They're going to mob me if you don't!"


	50. Ch 50: First Date's Endeavour

**Author's Notes:** Nay, ALAS! I am NOT DEAD! I betcha you wondered where the fuck in all the Seven Layers of Hell I went, huh? Well weep for my return, my little pretties, for I am alive and quite well.

I apologize for that ridiculously long wait - but I assure you, it is WELL WORTH IT. I bring to you not ONLY a new chapter, but a special PRESENT to go WITH that chapter.

So if you want to read a Leon x Cloud lemon...well, you better get your butts on over to my LiveJournal by following the instructions at the end of this chapter!

I am, again, sorry for the long wait. There were a lot of things I wanted to say, but I can't remember much of it all.

Oh - once again, thank you all for your support! I'm really surprised at how many reviews I have. Looking back on them all, it makes me happy to know how many fans I have reading this and leaving their love each chapter. My Muse is quite impressed with your loyalty and would like to give you all Pocky for your efforts and encouragement.

Some angst here. But who doesn't love angst?

* * *

Chapter 50

_"First Date's Endeavour"_

Leon tapped his foot impatiently and checked his watch. It was eleven twenty-four. He shouldn't even be looking at his watch, and yet here he was, worrying about the time. What did he have to be concerned about in the first place? What was wrong with him? He shook his head and stuffed his hand in his pocket. He should have taken that damn watch off.

Now here he was, standing in front of the Balamb Garden restaurant, wearing a white tank top, comfortably-fitting leather jeans with triple belts, and his favorite black jacket with the fur-lined collar. He'd customized it to have short sleeves and sewn an emblem of a red lion's head on. It looked pretty cool, he thought. How long had it been since he'd worn an outfit like this...?

Surely, he wasn't looking to impress the other that much. Still, Leon figured he may as well dress nicely for the part. He didn't want to look like trash. This was a date, so he would treat it as such. It escaped Leon why he accepted in the first place. This was technically dating online, wasn't it? Dating someone you'd met over the Internet? Whatever. Leon didn't know how it worked..._And I'm thinking too much!_

He growled. Ever since he'd come here, he'd been acting so _not _himself. It bothered him.

Not more than a minute later, Leon saw a car drive up and watched as Cloud walked out and locked it. He couldn't help himself when he looked the blond up and down. He was wearing a washed-out blue t-shirt with a simple zig-zagging print on the hem, and a pair of blue jeans and tennis shoes. He had a denim jacket on over his shirt and sunglasses hid his eyes. _Probably so the tabloids don't bother him, _he thought, though Leon didn't see how sunglasses would help.

When Cloud approached him, Leon kept his hands in his pockets, except for when he pulled one out to wave. "Hey. You look pretty casual." _It looks nice on you._

Cloud shrugged. "I just threw it on." He paused. "Like it?"

Leon looked over the outfit again. There was something he wanted to say in rebuttal to that, but he withheld the comment. "...It suits you," was what he replied with instead. Cloud smiled at him and removed his sunglasses, hanging them on the collar of his shirt.

"Where did you get that coat?"

"What, this?" Leon tugged at his jacket, and shrugged. "I got it a while ago in my senior year of high school. Customized it a little bit. I'm surprised it still fits."

Cloud gave Leon a quiet smile, his teeth flashing as he did. The blond turned and opened up the door, setting one foot inside. "So are we going to go get seats, or are we going to stand out here all day?"

Leon only grunted and went inside with Cloud. They went up to the counter where one of the waitresses was, and when Leon looked around, he noticed the restaurant was quite empty. At this time of day, he supposed they weren't very busy—especially with school going on for the kids. The waitress smiled at them and stacked a set of menus in her hands.

"Hi, welcome to Balamb! How many in your party?"

Cloud held up two fingers. "Two."

"Two? Smoking or non-smoking?"

Cloud paused, and looked at Leon. "Do you smoke...?"

Leon shook his head. "No."

"Non-smoking, then."

"Sure! Right this way." The waitress dropped most of the menus until only two were in her hand and turned on her heel, walking down the rows of seats and tables. The two men followed after her, until she'd set the menus down at a table against the wall with cushioned seats, right by the sunlight. Although it wasn't blinding, the sun shone on one side of the table, and when Cloud sat down, it played with the highlights and color of his hair. Leon noticed it right away.

"Our bar is open, and our house soup for today is clam chowder. Your waiter should be with you in a moment. Enjoy your lunch."

When she left, all they could do was sit and stare at each other. Cloud blinked a couple of times, and folded his hands on the table. Leon couldn't help but notice that he looked a little nervous, so when the blond hesitantly cleared his throat and looked out the window, Leon figured it would be up to him to break the ice. So he put his chin in one hand and he asked, "What's got _you_ all jittery?"

Cloud blinked. "M...Me?" He smiled nervously. "It's just been a while since I've had a date, that's all."

"Hmmm." Leon crossed his arms on the table. "Don't think you're the only one. I haven't done this since college."

The blond tilted his head. "Never? Where did you go to college?"

Leon put his chin in his hand again and replied, "I went to Traverse University." This roused a bit of a reaction from Cloud.

"You went to TU? That's impressive! It's supposed to be really hard to get accepted there!" The brunet only shrugged. Now interested in the other's life, Cloud leaned forward a little, crossing his legs under the table. "How many times did you have to try? Lots of people send letters hundreds of times, but they never get in."

"I guess I was lucky, then," Leon said. "I got in on my first try."

Cloud was stunned. "And the only job you could get was as a social worker?" He said it in a way that implied it was amazing Leon hadn't applied for something that paid ten times better. Leon knew this. He could be anything he wanted to, with an education from a college like Traverse—but nothing else appeased to him.

"I suppose I could have been a dozen other things." He shook his head. "But my life's work is more enjoyable when I'm working at the foster care."

"You like kids?"

"Actually, I can't stand kids."

Cloud was surprised again. He stared at Leon, a little bewildered, and murmured, "Oh."

Leon sat back in his seat, and he explained, "But I feel I've accomplished something when I see the smiles on their faces. I place them in good homes because that's where I want to see them smiling. And if they're unhappy, I do my best to try and fix it." A frown crossed his features. "That's why I couldn't stand Ansem. I couldn't catch him hurting Riku no matter how hard I tried."

"But he's been found out _now,_ right?" Cloud put his chin in his hands. "That should be worth something."

Leon's stern expression cracked, and he smirked slightly. "I suppose."

A young woman with shoulder-length black hair approached, wearing the restaurant uniform. She had her apron tied fast around her small waist, and her hair was up in a ponytail. There were sepia-brown streaks running through it all around. She tapped a pencil on her pad, smiling and looking at them.

"Welcome to Balamb Garden. My name is—"

Leon couldn't contain his mild surprise. "Rinoa?"

The young girl blinked, and then she gasped. "Oh my God! _Squall?_"

"_Squall?_" Cloud echoed, clearly confused.

"It _is_ Squall!" Rinoa threw her arms around Leon's neck. "I'd know that grumpy face anywhere! I haven't seen you since college! How _are_ you!"

Leon cautiously pushed her back, so that she wasn't clinging to him. When Rinoa wasn't hugging Leon anymore, Cloud took a moment to scan her up and down, and he realized that there was a thick, ugly scar across her collarbone underneath her shirt. "I'm alright," Leon said. "I'm just here on a lunch date."

"Ooh, how fun!" Rinoa smiled, looking ecstatic. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Cloud." Leon gestured to the blond, and Cloud, still confused, waved a hand and smiled.

"Hi," he said.

"A pleasure!" She giggled. "I was one of Leon's friends in our college days. He won't admit it, but he's a big softie!"

Leon groaned. "Thank you, Rinoa, for destroying the image I was preparing to convey."

"You're welcome." She snickered. "Anyway, can I get you two anything?"

Cloud blinked and opened up the menu, scanning through all the alcoholic drinks. Meanwhile, Leon told her, "I'll have a beer."

"Oookay," Rinoa penciled it off and looked at Cloud. "And you?"

"Ah...one Rum Runner, please?"

Rinoa grinned and wrote it down. "You guys want any appetizers or anything?"

Cloud and Leon exchanged glances. Leon shook his head, and Cloud shrugged in agreement. "Nah, no thanks." He said.

"Gotcha!" Rinoa tucked her pencil into her apron. "Be back in a little bit." She twirled around and left, heading for the bar to place their orders. Cloud now snatched the opportunity to stare at Leon in bewilderment and ask, " 'Squall'?"

Leon chuckled slightly. "I knew you'd ask." He told Cloud, "When I turned nineteen, I changed my name to Leon Striker. It used to be Squall Leonhart."

Cloud tilted his head. "Why did you do that?"

"To detach from the past, I guess." The brunet shrugged his shoulders. He looked away, his eyes turning towards the window. "I grew up in Deling with my father. He was a soldier in the Galbadia Army."

"Deling?" Cloud paused for a moment, and then something clicked. "That's on a whole other continent! Isn't that the capital of the Gaian Republic?"

Leon nodded, and then pointed at his eyes. "Most of the people in the Gaian Republic have a greyish eye color."

"Oh, that explains it." Cloud tilted his head and peered into Leon's eyes. "I noticed that when you first visited. I just didn't really ask...I was tired."

"Hmmm." Leon set his arms on the table again. "Anyway, another civil war broke out one time, and my father was called to service. He dropped me off at his friend Kiros' place and left."

Cloud stayed silent, expecting there would be more to the story. There wasn't. Leon didn't say another word. So Cloud cocked his head, frowning. "And...?"

"He died in the line of duty."

The blond immediately felt guilty for asking. _It's no wonder._ He licked his lips. "I'm sorry..." he wondered, "What about your mother?"

"I never knew her. She passed away when she gave birth to me." Leon's eyes lowered to the table. He was never comfortable talking about his past. Yet, when he spoke with Cloud, it was like he was relieving a big weight on his shoulders. "Dad always told me stories, though. He always told me how her name was Julia, and that she had a beautiful voice. She sang really well."

Cloud fell silent and stared at Leon for a while. He chewed on his bottom lip, his brow creasing as he wrung his hands on the table. _He looks so sad. Was it a bad idea to ask?_ He thought in passing, _He was orphaned on another continent..._

"How did you make it to the Terran Continent?" He asked curiously.

Leon's eyes looked up again. "I saved up and completed high school in the Gaian Republic, and as soon as I graduated, I took the next flight out. I got sworn into citizenship in Alexandria, and then I finished college in Traverse. Now I'm here."

The blond scratched the back of his neck, clearing his throat. "You must've been through a lot."

Leon shrugged. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

"I guess," Cloud agreed. Silence descended around them again, and the air grew a little tense. Cloud fleetingly met his eyes with Leon's a few times, but he never held the gaze for very long. Still nervous, they were quiet even when Rinoa brought them their drinks. Cloud drank his mixed drink silently, and Leon had at least three sips of beer before another subject was brought up.

"So what should we get to eat?"

"Oh!" Cloud opened up the menu. "Um...well, their salad wraps are supposed to be good...so, I might get one of those."

Leon scoped out the choices of food. Salad, soup, wraps. It looked like this was more Greek cuisine than anything else. _Meh. I always did want to try that._

Rinoa came back around to ask for their orders a few minutes later (Leon had told her before they weren't ready), and Cloud got a Chicken Salad Wrap, while Leon got a Mediterranean Wrap. And still they couldn't find anything to talk about. Cloud finally sulked, sighing and putting his chin in his hands.

"We're not very talkative..."

Leon drank from his beer mug. "They say silence is golden."

Cloud snorted. "Shyeah—when you've met my ex-cameraman. My God, Marx was a pain." He sipped his Rum Runner through a straw, while Leon cocked an eyebrow.

"Marx?"

"His name is Marluxia. We call him Marx. He wears a lot of pink and does _this_ all the time." Cloud flicked his wrist as demonstration and rolled his eyes in a girly manner. "Very dramatic. One time, someone spilled punch on him at a company party, and he flipped out. We thought he was going to file a lawsuit over getting a stain on his shirt."

"Hmph." Leon smirked slightly. "I met someone like that once. She was precocious, but tended to be a ditz. And she liked playing pranks."

"Really? What was her name?"

"Rikku." Leon smiled as he recalled her pretty face. "I can always remember her name because I remember that she always had a smile on her face." He drank some more of his beer. "Anyway, one time when I was a college Sophomore, Rikku was acting like a high-schooler and decided she would set off all the sprinklers in the cafeteria..." And from there, Leon began to describe many of the moments he had in his college and high school days. He talked about Rikku, and how she always hung out with her cousin, Yuna—whom Leon said he could recall because of her two-tone eyes—and Paine, who was considered the college Goth. Cloud would sometimes come in with stories of his own; some were funny, some were interesting.

And the conversation went from there. Cloud laughed and talked and ate, and he went through two more refills before his cheeks started to get a little red. Leon's beer lasted him the whole meal, and when Cloud tried, he managed to get the other to actually laugh a few times. Before they knew it, a couple of hours had flown past, and they'd talked about everything from high school to politics and beyond. Leon was surprised at himself. He hadn't talked this much with anyone since he was eight.

Around two o'clock, they were getting ready to pay the check when Cloud raised his hand up. "Hey...can I get another refill?"

Leon frowned, and looked at Cloud sternly. "I think you've had enough."

"Huh? No...I'm just feelin' a little tipsy..."

"Don't forget that you still have to drive home." Leon tucked the money in with the checkbook Rinoa gave him and handed it to her after signing the slip. "Thanks, Rinoa. We're good for today."

"Alrighty. Just make sure you take your time goin' back." She frowned briefly, as if remembering something, and fleetingly touched the scar on her collarbone before the smile returned and she was off. Leon nodded to himself and turned his eyes away, and his fingers brushed over the scar on his face in the same manner. Cloud cocked his head when he noticed this, and cupped his chin in his hands again, crossing his legs under the table as he leaned forward.

"Hey, how'd you get that, anyway?" He asked curiously. Leon sighed.

"I was driving back to my dorm from a senior party Rinoa and I had been invited to. I'd had a few drinks beforehand, and I couldn't see straight..."

Cloud's face turned serious suddenly. Leon continued with his story. "I ended up swerving off the road, and the car rolled down a hill. Rinoa wasn't wearing her seat belt; bumped her head hard several times, and when the car stopped rolling, we were upside-down and a sharp object had broken through her window and made a gash in her chest. Her arms were pretty cut up, too. As for me, I was stuck between the seat and the wheel, and there was broken metal and glass everywhere. A piece of it scratched my face at some point, and I went to the hospital with a few bruises, couple of broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder."

He was clearly recalling every detail of the accident. Cloud got a sad look in his eyes, and his brow creased as he frowned. Leon looked away for a while, before he finished off his beer.

"Like I said; what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

"But you're both okay now, right?" Cloud pointed out. Leon's expression worsened.

"Rinoa's fine; apart from the fact that she had trouble with her long-term memory afterwards." He paused, scoffing. "I'm surprised she was able to remember my name and face. After the accident, when her mother came to visit her, she had to ask her who she was." Leon looked up and met his eyes with Cloud's. "But...Irvine..."

Cloud blinked. "There was a third person in the car?"

Leon nodded. "Irvine Kinneas. Him, and Rinoa, and I...we hung out a lot together." _And Irvine was bisexual, too, _Leon thought, fleeting images of what the three of them used to do in their dorm room passing through him. He shook his head—partially to try and shake off the resurfacing guilt he was feeling. He remembered how he always used to see Irvine and think, _He's such a cowboy._

"Irvine hitched a ride with us that night. The back end of the car got completely totaled. Irvine got crushed and bled to death...internal bleeding."

The brunet had his eyes on the table as he talked, and his hands were folded on the countertop. He swallowed, falling silent after he was finished. _Irvine..._ Irvine, as Leon recollected, had been pretty wild. He had a very playboyish nature. And the cowboy hat...always with the cocky cowboy attitude. Even during their games. College was filled with experiments for Leon—most of them with Rinoa and Irvine.

He felt something squeezing his fingers, and Leon looked at his hands, realizing there was a third one there. Cloud had reached across the table and was holding his hand tightly. Leon stared at it for a moment, and then he tentatively squeezed it back, secretly glad for the moment of comfort. Rinoa was right—he didn't admit a lot of things, but that didn't mean the feelings weren't there.

They stayed like that for a little while, until Leon finally decided they should go. "So are you ready to drive home?" He asked. Cloud had to laugh a little.

"Sure, after hearing a story like that? I'm rarin' to go!"

Leon managed a smirk as they stood up. Cloud got up on his feet, and wobbled; Leon had to grab his arm for balance. "Whoa." He frowned. "Maybe _I _should drive you home."

Cloud blinked at him blearily. "Wha?" He crinkled his brow. "But my car..."

_Shit._ That's right—they'd come in two separate cars. Cloud's would get towed...he could always pick it up, though, right? But that seemed silly...and yet at the same time, it didn't.

Cloud slapped Leon's shoulder a little roughly. "Jus' lemme get in. F'you're so worried, you can follow me home..."

Leon bit his lip. He shouldn't...he really shouldn't...

* * *

...But he did. And he fretted over it the whole way. Cloud was going the speed limit, but he ran several red lights and every so often he would swerve, and every time he swerved, Leon could feel the breath hitching in his throat. He thanked God, Buddha, Krishna, and any other God up there for their saving grace when they made it back to the blond's house in one piece. 

_What were we doing drinking before noon, anyway?_ Leon wondered. He got out of his car and followed Cloud as the blond teetered into his own house, and plopped down on the couch. The brunet shut the door behind them and sat with him, sighing. Cloud smirked at him.

"See? Not so bad."

"Scared the hell outta _me,_" Leon grumbled. He looked at Cloud. The blond's eyes were a little glazed, and his cheeks had a reddish hue, but otherwise he seemed fine. Except for the slight teeter in his walk. _Is he really _that_ drunk? _Leon thought. _What a lightweight._ Cloud couldn't be that bad, could he? He was probably just feeling a little dizzy. Maybe that was it.

"Here, I'll go get you some water." Leon got up to go into Cloud's kitchen for a glass. The blond reached out and grabbed him by his arm, standing quickly.

"No! I got it..."

"Cloud, sit down. I'll get it for you."

"Nooo." Cloud wobbled and leaned on Leon's arm. "You're my_ guest._ I'll get it." Leon blinked, supporting the other and a little surprised.

"Okay...Cloud...you didn't have that much to drink. You can stop teetering now. You just said you were tipsy."

The blond blinked. "Ooh, is that what I said?"

...Alright, maybe he _was _a little drunk. And, admittedly, Leon liked the redness in his cheeks. Blinking, he shook his head. _I can't be thinking about that right now!_

"...Cloud...sit down."

"Then sit with me."

Leon sighed. He plopped back down on the couch, rather unenthusiastically, and Cloud continued to lean on him. The drone of the lamplights became deafening in the silence. Leon blinked his grey eyes, and realized some moments later that he'd wound an arm around Cloud's waist. He pressed his lips thin, brow creasing. He turned his eyes to the blond, watching him, and saw the redness still spread across his cheeks.

Cloud met Leon's gaze with his lips slightly parted. He smiled. "Thanks...for the lunch."

The brunet shook his head. "You invited me. I should be thanking you."

Cloud leaned a little closer. Leon had to draw back a bit to maintain his space. "No, really...I like the company." The blond stared dully ahead with his head on Leon's shoulder. "Kids 're gone...I dumped Seph...house gonna get sold..." he shifted and sighed. "I like the company."

Leon didn't have a response to that. The tense silence returned, and all he could think to do was sit with his arm still around Cloud's waist. He knew he should probably move it, but he didn't want to detach. He didn't mind this...and Cloud didn't seem to, either. He shifted nervously and cleared his throat. _I can hear the clock ticking in the upstairs hallway, for Chrissakes..._

The ex-model glanced up. "Leon?"

"Yes?" Leon turned and met Cloud's gaze, grey eyes calm and fixed. He could see the haze was starting to clear up, but he still didn't look that sober.

When Cloud didn't say anything, Leon tilted his head. "Yes, Cloud?"

In the pause that followed, Leon hadn't expected Cloud would move forward, nor did he anticipate that he would be tasting the other's lips on his own. Cloud pressed against him, wrapping one hand around the brunet's neck and deepening the kiss, thrusting his tongue past the other's pressed lips, prying them open for entry. Leon held back a groan and shut his eyes for a moment, nipping Cloud's bottom lip. Leon pulled back, his hands on the blond's shoulders. "What are you _doing?_" He demanded.

Cloud licked his lips, brow creasing in confusion; then, he blinked and looked away hurriedly. He thrust his hands into his lap and kept them there, except for when he bit on the knuckle of his thumb.

"I—I'm sorry." He mumbled. "I'm...really sorry." The blond scanned the room, and stood up, a little less wobbly than before. "I-I'll go get some water..."

Leon unconsciously pressed the back of his fingers against his lips in fleeting recollection, and his eyes followed Cloud as he went into the kitchen. _That...that felt..._ The brunet blinked and stood up, grabbing Cloud by his arm.

"Wait a minute."

Cloud turned around as Leon pulled him close, and leaned in towards his face. "You're not even going to explain yourself?"

Cloud frowned. That scolding made him feel like he was six. He narrowed his eyes at Leon with a furrowed brow, golden streams of hair overshadowing his face.

_He's beautiful, _Leon thought. _Maybe _I'm_ drunk._ He thought of a cheesy line to follow that up, but he didn't dare follow through with it, fearing for his sanity. He wrapped one arm around Cloud's shoulders in the front and leaned in until their lips were almost touching, keeping his eyes riveted to Cloud's.

"You're not going to tell me how you learned that?"

The blond swallowed, unable to move away. "No," he murmured, "But...I can show you."

Leon tilted his head and whispered, "Then lead on."

Cloud stared unyielding into Leon's eyes, seeing the start of some type of storm that clouded there. He felt the other man's grip on his arm loosen and shift to turn him so they were chest-to-chest, and he pushed his hands back along Leon's jaw to cup his face roughly in his hands as they kissed. His eyes fluttered shut, and the kiss was feverish and hard. Cloud could hear the soft smacking sounds of their lips as they parted and let their tongues play together in another. He ran his fingers back through Leon's dark hair and felt the tresses slip between them like woven silk. He heard Leon's restrained groan as they kissed a third time, and he groaned back, opening his eyes and pulling back.

He slid Leon's jacket down off his shoulders and pushed him back down on the couch, wasting no time to straddle his lap and resume where they left off. Now gaining height above the other, Cloud bent down to share more passionate kisses, one free hand practically ripping off his own denim jacket as Leon worked his hands underneath to slide his shirt upwards on his body.

There was no questioning of their motives, nor any doubt as to what they wanted. There was them, the feeling, and the now, and they listened to their primal voices like starving souls, desiring that one moment of completion they knew would arrive. Hazy-brained and lustful, Cloud allowed Leon to help him remove his shirt and arched with a moan as the brunet went immediately for his chest, kissing it and latching a nipple between his teeth to bite and suck as his hands roamed the planes of the blond's back. Cloud buried his fingers in Leon's hair and sighed pleasantly.

Yes, this was what he wanted, what he craved. Without a doubt.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** So, if anyone wants to see the fic...see if I can get this to show up...go to this link: "kujazlilmage. livejournal. com" 

Just delete any spaces in the link and it should work just fine. The Fanfic cut is in the very top entry on the page, so if you click the LJ Cut link in it you should be taken straight away to the lemony goodness. Have fun!


	51. Ch 51: Pick Ups and Let Downs

**Author's Notes:** Aaah, approaching the moment. After the next chapter, the trial shall officially begin, and we can close this damn thing already!

But. Before you read the chapter. I would just like to share something with all of you.

I don't appreciate flames. And, normally, I brush them right off - I actually did get a couple of flames somewhere along the way, but they were more like sparks, so I really didn't care. However, it's come to my attention that someone has given me such an eyesore in their review that it's just impossible to ignore without laughing and serving up a nice big plate of_ public humiliation._ Let this be proof to all flamers: If you leave such a discourteous review as this one, your keyboard should be ripped out of the monitor, with your fingers super-glued together to disable your ability to type.

Courtesy of **RaNdOm:**

"_I SUDDENLY HATE THIS STORY! It's become so boring...  
I AM COMPLETELY DESTROYED!  
Why no Cloud/Sephy? WHY? WHY? WHY? I SO PREFFER THEM OVER CLOUD AND LEON! CLOUD AND LEON ARENT EVEN IN THE SAME GAME, AND THEY ARE TOO MUCH ALIKE TO LOVE EACH OTHER!  
THERE ALWAYS HAS TO BE A MORE DOMINATE MALE! HELO? SEPHY IS THAT MALLEE! DUUDDE, I GUARENTEE IT, YOU'LL GET SO MANY MORE REVIEWS IF YOU MAKE THIS A CLOUD/SEPH, NOT CLOUD/LEON! GET THEM BACK TOGETHER DUDE! AND... umm.. hmm.. yeah... try n spice things up. It's getting very sapped and peachy. Nothing is happening anymore... CLOUD SEPHIROTH! CLOUD AND SEPHIROTH! CLOUD AND SEPHIROTH! I DEMAND THEM BE TOGETHER! IF YOU DO NOT GIMMI AN EXPLANATION, I'LL BE TERRIBLY DISSAPOINTED!_"

* * *

**Kuja's Little Mage Says: **UZ PROPR GRAMMAR AND SPELING AND LEARN TO USE PUNCTUATION AND TO NOT TALK IN CAPS, K? My God, every day this netspeak thing gets worse, and I die a little inside. 

Quite frankly, this story was not meant to be a Sephiroth/Cloud. I wrote it as a Leon/Cloud. Deal with it.

I would also like to remind you that in the Kingdom Hearts world, Leon and Cloud _are _in the same fucking game. That's exactly what Kingdom Hearts is. It's a Disney game with blends of Final Fantasy, to mix in for kickass. Leon is an alternate version of Squall, who was portrayed in Kingdom Hearts, and he wasn't even from the FF8 world in that game. Leon's history in KH labels him as a resident of Radiant Garden.

I don't know where you got this "there **_always _**has to be a dominant" thing going, especially in the Yaoi world, where anything is possible. I see absolutely nothing wrong with seke pairings where the couple is liable to switching off. Actually, I find it kind of hot, because it means there's lots of sexy fighting in bed of one man trying to best the other until someone is finally top. Do you have any idea how hard it is to write Seph? I cry every time I read Ukeroth. He's plenty dominant enough in my story (for a "Mallee", as you call him), but he's just not going to end up with Cloud, sorry. So sad to disappoint you.

People who share a lot of qualities can SO fall in love, and proof of that is my lovely and handsome boyfriend, with whom I share several of the same interests. So I don't know what rock you live under, but that fact is way off.

I don't need to pair Sephiroth with Cloud to get more reviews. In case you haven't been paying attention, I have **688**, including this eyesore of a flame. Can you count that? Six-hundred and eighty-eight reviews.

I'm done here. Go home and don't read this if you're so disappointed. You've overused all the time I think to spare for flamers.

* * *

Chapter 51

_"Pick-Ups and Let-Downs"_

"Sora!" Lisa called. "Dinner's ready!"

Within seconds, she was seeing the usual response to her son's bottomless stomach: Sora came trudging down the stairs like an elephant in his socks and literally slid into his seat at the dinner table, a big grin on his face when he saw the spread. Mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green beans, and a chicken cooked and seasoned perfectly for autumn weather.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Came the throaty laugh. He licked his lips, holding up his hands like claws and wiggling his fingers. "This looks _mm-mmm, good!_"

"Leave some macaroni for your sister, now." John warned.

"Yeah, I want the mac'roni!" Selphie cried. Sora grabbed his helpings, and yes, he left plenty of macaroni for Selphie. Then the little girl made another demand. "I wanna say Grace!"

"All right, everyone, join hands." Lisa held out her hands, and everyone did as she said, and they bowed their heads. "Selphie, would you like to do the honors?"

Selphie shut her eyes tight and had a big grin on her face as she recited her prayer. Sora was surprised to find that she was actually saying something aside from the usual thanking God for food.

"Dear God," Selphie said proudly, bouncing in her seat, "Thank You for Mommy's good cooking and for all the new friends I made at school, and for bringing my big brother home safe and sound!" She added shamelessly, "And, God, if I'm a really good girl in our new house, can You call Santa and tell him to bring me a pony for Christmas? You can give Santa a bigger sleigh to carry it, because he always tells me that the pony is too heavy for the sleigh."

The rest of the family chuckled at the adorable remark, and Lisa and John squeezed their children's hands.

"Lord, we thank You for this night and for bringing our family back together again." Lisa said. "And we wish all our neighbors and friends down south good health and long life."

Sora suddenly threw a curveball. "And _I_ wanna thank You, God, for letting me meet Riku," he said. His head was down and his eyes closed, but he was smiling. "And I hope You'll forgive him for all the bad things he's done. I hope You'll bless Riku and give him healing and strength. He really needs it right now."

The table was silent all of a sudden, because they were somehow not expecting the mention of Riku. Sora peered one eye open and noticed this, and blushed. _Must not have absorbed all the shock from figuring out my...preference..._

Sora cleared his throat. "Amen." He murmured.

"Amen!" Selphie cheered, bouncing again in her chair.

"Amen," chorused Lisa and John, and then the feasting began. The moment Sora began eating, his mother smiled at him.

"That was a very nice prayer you did, Sora." She said. "I think Riku did good finding you."

Sora grinned sheepishly. "Thanks, Mom."

"Mmmm! Chicken!" Selphie cut a bite for herself and stuffed it in her mouth. Sora grabbed the remote for the kitchen T.V. The only thing they would watch was news, but...he wanted to watch news with his family, just for tonight.

"How about some T.V.?"

"Sure, honey, flip it on." Sora clicked it to the daily news channel and began to dig into his macaroni. The anchors were talking about Riku's case again.

"Hey, check it out." The brunet pointed to the screen. "Riku and Miss Lockheart are on T.V.!" Sure enough, when the family looked, there was Riku's face on the television, with a caption beneath him reading, "RIKU LOCKHEART. PLAINTIFF IN COURT CASE."

"I wouldn't be _in_ this case if he wasn't raping me," he said. His hair was up in a messy sort of ponytail, his bangs shadowing his face. "And I dare anyone to challenge themselves to think otherwise."

The off-screen anchor took the microphone for a moment. "Is he really that terrible a man?" And thrust it back into Riku's face. Riku's eyes steeled.

"You saw the pictures from three weeks ago, the ones found on Sora's camera? He's used every one of those toys on me. Yeah, he's that bad."

"What are you going to do if he wins the case?" The anchorman asked. With no room to breathe in between, Riku snapped firmly,

"Ansem's not _going_ to win this case! He's not going to win _anything!_ He's going to rot in a jail cell for the rest of his life—just like a pedophile _should_ be doing."  
Selphie and Sora both cheered. "Yaaay! Go Riku!" Tifa's mother now appeared on the screen, with Lisa and John watching with elevated interest.

"Aren't you horrified about what's happened to your son?"

"Of course I am!" Tifa cried. "I'm his mother. How can I not be?"

"But, isn't it true that the legal files have labeled Riku as disowned?"

Tifa shook her head. "That is my ex-husband's fault, not mine. Riku is _my_ boy. I gave birth to him in the hospital—I carried him for nine months. He's _my_ son, and I won't let _anything_ happen to him. He has me to protect him, he has his friends at school—he's not going to suffer anymore. We'll make sure of it."

Sora's mother nodded her head. "The world needs more mothers like Riku's."

"The world needs more mothers like _you,_ dear." John reached over to give his wife an appreciative hug. "You're the best mother I know!" Lisa grinned at him and giggled.

"Oh, John! Stop!"

"Yech. Grown-ups." Selphie stuffed her face with more food. As the news channel flashed through some of the pictures Riku had mentioned, Sora turned his attention to his mother.

"Hey, Mom? Can I go over to Riku's house for a little while tomorrow?"

"What time will you be back?" She asked. Sora swallowed a bite of chicken.

"Uhhh...I don't know...before dinner?"

Lisa smirked. "And just what are you planning to do at Riku's house, hmmm?"

Sora blushed, red as a cherry, glad that the comment would go over Selphie's head. "N-Nothing!" He stuttered. "Nothing, Mom." He cracked a nervous grin. "I-I just wanna, you know, hang out. We might go to the skate park, or...something...?"

His mother looked down at her plate with a certain glint in her eyes that made Sora gulp. "After dinner, I would like to continue this talk with you."

Sora may as well have been wagging a puppy tail. "Does that mean I can go?" He wondered, voice full of hope.

"It means we'll see," his mother replied. Sora sulked. Great—the "We'll see" ploy. The most open-ended answer of all answers. Might as well have been a "no."

* * *

Tifa gathered up the dinner dishes and cast her son a furtive glance. "Tomorrow? For how long?" 

"Not long," Riku said with a shrug. "Until six, maybe? Just a few hours."

"And just what are you planning to do with those three hours?"

Riku got up to go help his mother with the dishes. "I dunno, hang out at the skate park? Do somethin' with Tidus and Wakka? We'll figure it out."

Tifa looked at Riku full-on, putting the dishes down in the sink. "Riku, I don't know how you could possibly think your mother is a fool, but I wasn't born yesterday." She put her hands on the counter, and Riku sighed. _Here it comes,_ he thought.

"Now, I know that there's no risk of you getting Sora pregnant or anything—"

Riku groaned. "Moooommm..."

"_Buuut,_" Tifa growled, tilting his head up to make him look at her. "You are still a teenager, and you still have hormones, and it is your responsibility to _control_ those hormones. Understand?"

"_Yes,_ Mother."

"That tone was terrible. Say it again with less attitude. Can I trust you not to do anything naughty while I'm out?"

Riku restrained an irritated sigh, and fixed his gaze with Tifa's. "Yes, Mother." He repeated, a little more respectful. Tifa nodded, satisfied.

"That's better. Now," she turned on the faucet and cranked the water to hot, "Let me assure you Riku, if I find out that you disobeyed me, there _will_ be consequences."

"What kind of consequences?" Riku asked, grabbing a sponge and soaking it with water and soap.

"The _grounded_ kind."

_Ooooh, but that only makes it more fun! _Riku thought, grinning wickedly in his head. _I'm sure Sora's probably thinking the same thing...hehehe._

"Okay, fine," Riku said with a smirk, "You've made your point, Mom."

"Good, glad I did." Tifa narrowed her eyes at him. "So you damn well better follow it."

_I don't know, _Riku thought, _I might be feeling a little...needy..._

_

* * *

_

"You shouldn't act so desperate, Ansem." Sephiroth said calmly.

"Desperate? _Desperate?_ How can I not act desperate?" Sephiroth leaned back in his lazy chair, drumming his fingers on the arm of it. He could just picture poor Ansem, cradling the phone to his face, hissing into it wearing his orange jumpsuit. Yep...Ansem was in prison. Like he probably deserved to be.

"You've got to get me out of here, Sephiroth. You gave me Luxord, so can't you do me one more favor?"

"Isn't it by your own course of actions that you ended up in there?" The modeling manager pointed out. Ansem broke into a fire-eyed conniption on the other end of the phone.

"_WHOSE __**SIDE** ARE YOU **ON?**_" He shrieked. "What kind of friend _are_ you! You're going to leave me to _rot_ in here?" It was sad, really—his voice could almost be classified as a whimper. Ansem was hair-brained and breaking down fast. Sephiroth couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. Still, it was his own fault. Better he serve the consequences.

"Sephiroth...please..."

Now, _that_ was just pitiful.

"I can't stand it here! The food is terrible, the inmates are a bunch of apes...get me out of here! I beg of you!"

Sephiroth heard a distracting moan reverberate off the walls from Kadaj's room, and winced. _One of these days, I'm going to push those two sinners out the door..._

"I'm sorry, Ansem, but I can't do that."

"Why not?" Yes, the other man was whining now—flat out whining. "Sephiroth! Please! _Please!_"

"Again...I'm sorry."

"No...no! Sephiroth, wait! Wait! Don't hang up! Sephiroth—"

Against Ansem's frantic request, Sephiroth clicked the hang-up button on the receiver and set the phone down, sighing. He now focused on trying to drown out the sounds of Kadaj and Yazoo in the other room, the sick sounds of their lovemaking and the creaking of Kadaj's bed. Sephiroth grimaced and resorted to holding a large throw pillow over his ears. Yazoo was top again. He could tell because he frightfully knew that Kadaj was the one incessantly moaning. _Those unthoughtful bastards!_

It reminded him of Cloud. Sephiroth could recall how not too long ago, Cloud would be making those same noises, at his mercy, rocking under him in the rhythm of their love. The image was burned into his brain. He opened his eyes when the moaning stopped (right after a couple of roaring cries), and slowly peeled the pillow off his ears, noting that it was silent once more. But in his head, the sounds were begun anew, replaced by the voice of his beautiful blond.

And then Sephiroth bit his lip, worry crossing his features. _Perhaps I was too harsh on him. Is it too late to take it back?_ He cast his eyes thoughtfully to the phone. He could pick up and call...provided Cloud hadn't moved out of that house yet...

Sephiroth didn't need much convincing. Within a minute, he'd picked up and dialed Cloud's house. All the while as the receiver rang, he clenched and unclenched the cradle of the phone, until finally someone picked up.

"Hello?" It was Cloud. Sephiroth sighed with relief. At least a strange man hadn't answered.

"Cloud?"

The blond paused, and then his voice turned angry. "I have a guest over. What the hell do you want?"

_Guest?_ Sephiroth sulked. _Shit._

"I...was thinking about you," he said. It sounded corny. Sephiroth hated being corny.

"Oh, is that so." The tone the other held was an unfeeling drone, and Sephiroth got the impression Cloud had been expecting something like that. He licked his lips.

"Cloud...can't we just talk?"

"What's there to talk about?" Cloud demanded. "You took my job away, you cut all contact with me—why don't we talk about that?"

"I didn't cut off contact! I'm talking to you right now, aren't I?" Sephiroth leaned forward in his chair. "Listen, Cloud...this doesn't have to be the end..."

He was cut off by an abrupt burst of laughter. "You're _unbelievable. _Do you honestly expect me to come crawling back to you after what you did to me? Do you realize what you did? You grabbed all my main finances, and ripped them out from under my feet! I have to move out of this house, Sephiroth, do you know that? I can't afford the house, I couldn't afford the children...you rose up _Hell_ when you broke up with me!"

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed. "Correction. _You_ broke up with _me_."

"Well, it doesn't matter _now,_ does it? I moved on. You should, too."

_Moved on? _Sephiroth paled. _No...he didn't! He's found another_ already?_ How could he?_

"Cloud—" The manager swallowed hard, "—Cloud. Listen. I can give it back to you, all of it, I swear. I can re-employ you at the Rising Sun—"

"_IF_ I share the same bed as you. Right?"

Sephiroth opened his mouth to speak, but didn't. The train rolling through his brain hit a penny and flew off the track at two hundred miles an hour, crashing into his system. He couldn't find any way to properly respond to that. Before Cloud hung up the phone, he left Sephiroth with the three most painful words the older man had ever heard.

"Go to Hell."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** (sigh) And now I would like to apologize for not mentioning something at the top there where the flame ate up all my rage. Thank you for your support, you guys. We've got just a little more fluff and sap to go, and then the trial starts, and things will pick up on the rollercoaster again. :p So bear with me a little longer. Hehehe. 

For truly, when have I ever disappointed the majority of you?

Kuja's Little Mage - over and out.


	52. Ch 52: Nothing's Ever Better

**Author's Notes:** Wow, another late update. I apologize for becoming a little spastic. I'm a bit overwhelmed at the moment, what with now _attempting _to keep up with my Crazy Kitty Kage comic (check it out at Drshnaps .com; under Comics, my Author name is the same as it is here), as well as a personal project doing a Kuja x Zidane doujinshi. Plus, Eleventh grade is slowly approaching, and summer vacation isn't going to last that much longer, which makes me very sad indeed.

A couple of things. **One:** I really, really, _really _love all the support and encouragement you guys have been giving me, and you all left such nice reviews after that one little stinker, and it made me feel ten times better than I was already feeling. **Two: **I really, really, _really _hate to disappoint...I swear, I had a lemon scene plotted out for this chapter, but, in the long run, when I looked at it...it just didn't really seem to work. So I unfortunately felt the need to drop it. So, I'm sorry, but there will be no Riku x Sora snogging for this chapter. It'll have to wait just a little while longer.

Now, don't think this means I've lost interest in the story. I think the reason I'm feeling a little apprehensive to move forward is because my knowledge of the courtly ways is extremely limited once you move past _Special Victims Unit_. So if anyone could lend me a little bit of a hand along the way, it would be greatly appreciated. At the moment, I'm stuck as how to split this trial up, because I vaguely remember trials are split in "parts" ... though I'm not quite sure HOW, and how much time is in-between the trial dates, if they're not all on the same day. If anyone could give me some hints, info or sources, that would be great.

I now have_ five fanart entries _for the contest, from the following people: Asa Hane, Daenis TooShy, Lee, nummy cream puff, and Sica. All are wonderful in their own ways. But I know there were a few others who mentioned they would be giving this a shot, so I'm eager to see if they're waiting for an opportunity so they can spring it on me, or if they're just undecided as to what they're going to do...

Enough talking from me, then. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 52

_"Nothing's Ever Better"_

Riku was fixing his hair up in a ponytail again on the side of the school when it finally got out. He'd started doing this only a couple of days ago, but he quite liked pulling his hair up. It kept his bangs out of his face for a little while...though, they always fell back into place, thus giving Riku a haphazard ponytail, plus tendrils in front of his ears and shadowy moonlight bangs. But he didn't mind it. He'd gotten a couple of comments on it during the school day—if the fangirls were swooning over it, Sora probably would, too.

He shifted the weight of his backpack and couldn't help a smile. Since Tifa would be working late at the office, he and Sora would have the whole house to themselves...quite tempting, indeed. Riku already had the scenarios running through his head. Different ways that he could approach it; that is, if Sora was feeling up to it. (This he didn't doubt, but there was always a "just in case".)

Right on schedule, the brunet came bounding up to him with a cheeky grin and a shouldered backpack, wearing loose blue jeans and a red shirt with a flaming dragon on the front of it. He had stylish black-and-red gloves on his hands to match it.

Riku himself was wearing opposite colors. Fiery red under frigid blue—ooh, that gave Riku some very nice thoughts indeed. He gave Sora one of his sway-worthy white smiles, and draped an arm around his shoulders. "So, are you ready to get down for a little fun?"

Sora had a light blush to his cheeks and nodded, giving it no notice. "Where's your bus?" He asked.

"That one," Riku pointed to it, "Three-twenty-three."

" 'Kay!" Sora was practically skipping as he walked, which made Riku smile. He wasn't sure if he should shake his head or just chuckle. If Sora had been born the girl, and not Selphie, there would have hardly been a difference.

When they got on the bus, Riku told Sora they should watch out for the third bus stop, which dropped them off about a block away from Riku's neighborhood. On the way there, he and Sora kept up conversation about school and tests—it mostly involved teasing one another about how much work they had missed at Riku's expense.

He felt a twinge in his head at one point and rubbed his forehead, glancing out the window at once. He'd been feeling these more often lately. Riku was getting a little worried, because he sometimes found himself talking to thin air when alone in his room, much like he did when he'd had the Voice. But Riku thought that he'd suppressed that? The last thing he needed to return right now were his schizophrenic tendencies. Riku sighed, shutting his eyes.

_This is how you thank him?_

That startled him. Riku shook his head and straightened up in his seat, breathing deeply. _Focus, focus, focus..._

"Riku? You okay?"

Thankful for the distraction, Riku smiled and nodded. "Yeah. It's cool. I'm cool."

Sora tilted his head. "Are you sure? Nothing's bothering you?"

"Nope." Riku shook his head. He leaned over and gave Riku a kiss on his forehead. "Fit as a fiddle."

"_Fag!_" Screamed a cheerleader girl on the bus. Sora sent her a withering glare.

"Can it, Lana!" Riku snapped. The girl leered at them both with fierce green eyes.

"So how'd you do it, Sora? Finally bunked with a boy 'cuz you couldn't get a _girl?_"

"It's because he already _is_ a girl!" Giggled one of Lana's friends. Riku jumped up out of the bus seat before Sora could get a word in edgewise, and walked over very tensely to where Lana and her posse were sitting, and gripped the seats so hard they cold hear his nails scratching the rubbery material.

"_Listen up._" Riku snarled. "You best keep that mouth _shut_ when you think to talk."

Lana merely found amusement in this. "Oooh, someone's getting testy!" She snickered. Riku's eye twitched and he thrust a foot forward, stepping on something hard.

The cheerleader screeched and wriggled her foot away, clutching it. "OW! You QUEER!"

The smile Riku had on his face was nasty and fanged. "Whoops. Foot slipped. Road's really bumpy, you know."

Lana glared at him, rubbing her foot. She turned her attention to Sora. "So Sora, has he broken out the psycho abuse on you yet!"

Riku blocked Lana's view and leaned in uncomfortably close to her face. "I'll be abusing _you_ in a minute if you don't turn your attention _elsewhere,_ bitch."

Lana and her friends all stared at Riku for a few moments. But when they finally couldn't take anymore of his frightening stare, they turned and started mumbling to themselves. Riku let off and went back to sit with Sora, an exasperated sigh escaping him.

"Fucking dikes," he grumbled.

Sora had a worried frown on his face. "Riku?"

"_What?_" He snapped. Sora coiled back a little, pursing his lips. He licked them briefly, and cast his eyes down to his lap, scooting a little closer and twining his fingers with Riku's.

It made Riku twitch slightly, letting his hand rest tensely in Sora's before he finally sighed and squeezed it back. The tension melted out of him, and eventually, he slackened against the seat and rest his head on Sora's shoulder with an arm around him. He felt a little spent after that wrathful display, and besides, he knew from the brunet's reaction that he'd scared Sora. The least Riku could do was to give him a little reassurance.

* * *

Sora wasn't feeling very reassured. Even over the roar of the bus and the students riding it, he'd heard what Riku said to those girls, and seen how he'd coupled it with his intimidating force. Briefly, Sora remembered how Riku had behaved when he'd heard Cloud's boyfriend talk about Ansem. He'd cried—Sora couldn't forget that. But then there was when Leon said they would take them back home. The teen hadn't taken it lightly—in fact, Sora could probably classify that as a minor relapse.

This reminded him frighteningly of that time. And, if Riku was really experiencing relapses, then that meant he wasn't completely better yet. What if he was still thinking that he had to depend on Ansem for things? Maybe not that, per se, but Sora still couldn't sit by and let it pass him without notice. Riku might need a counselor. Sora pondered this on the bus ride and short walk to Riku's house, sparking conversations to cheer up the older teen.

"My mom gave me this all overly-righteous speech about being responsible," Sora sighed. Riku laughed.

"No kidding? Mine too. What is it with moms, anyway, are they psychic or something? Because, like, they're always thinking on the same brain waves and stuff."

Sora giggled and hugged Riku's arm as Riku walked him up the steps to the quaint little place where he lived. He bent down, and lifted up the welcome mat, producing a house key and using it to get inside. Riku shut the door behind Sora.

"Go on and get comfortable, I'll be with you in a minute. Need to pee."

The brunet laughed, "Okay," and set his backpack down on the kitchen floor. "Hey, you have any of that pineapple stuff from last time?"

"In the fridge!" Riku called, making off down one hallway for the nearest bathroom. Sora went straight for the refrigerator and produced a carton of pineapple-orange juice, which he'd discovered he enjoyed from his last brief visit. He had to search around the many cupboards to find the one with the glasses, but once he did, he got his hands on one and poured it full of the stuff and put the carton back where he got it, pulling himself up at seat at the table to drink it. He drummed his fingers absently on the tabletop, and couldn't stop himself from being a little giddy. All alone with Riku—oh, the possibilities!

Sora giggled silently and occupied himself consuming his glass of juice, thinking of what could go down while Riku's mom was out of the house. He had a cheesy smile on his face when Riku returned from the bathroom, who smirked at him and ruffled his brown hair.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?"

"Nothing!" Sora swallowed another sip of the juice. "Hey, you wanna watch a movie?"

"Let's go see what Mom has." Riku suggested, nudging his head in the direction of the living room. As Sora followed him in, he hovered over Riku's shoulder while he browsed through the video collection, compiled of both VHS tapes and DVDs, and with no particular order to them at all. Riku would be looking at a comedy one minute, and the next, an old swashbuckler or a horror flick. Eventually, after a lot of picking and choosing, they settled on _Independence Day._ Cuddled up on the couch, watching it, Sora was more focused on the way he was leaning on Riku than the plot of the film. Also, his mind was still stuck on Riku's threats to the cheerleaders on the bus. The brunet looked up at the one above him at one point.

"Hey, Riku?"

"Hmmm?" It was a little obvious that Riku was engrossed in the movie.

"About those girls..."

"On the bus?" Riku glanced at Sora. "What about them?"

Sora crinkled his brow, nose wrinkling like a little rabbit's. "I don't know...umm..."

"Look, just don't let them get to you," Riku told him, looking back to the movie. "They're cunts. They can't understand the way we are because they're too brainless to accept it."

The brunet sighed. _Yeah, but that's not what's bothering me, _he thought. Instead of voicing this, he said quietly, "I guess so."

Another brief silence passed, Sora watching the movie with Riku, before he blurted out, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Riku turned his eyes down to Sora. "Are you still worried about me?" He rubbed the boy's arm affectionately. "Don't be. I'm fine; trust me." He grinned, adding, "If there was anything wrong with me, I'd tell you."

"Hope so." Sora mumbled. Riku nudged him.

"Yeah, I'll bet—so you can start nagging me about my health, right?"

"_No!_" Sora pushed back playfully. "So I can _help_ you, duh!"

"Aren't we forgetting something?" Riku pointed out haughtily, "I don't _need_ help." Sora laughed.

"Yeah, sure you don't!" He pushed harder. "You're not _that _grown-up!"

"Really! I don't!" Riku grabbed Sora in a bear-hug and roughly nuzzled his head. Sora yelped, a smile cracking on his face. "But I bet I could probably help _you_ with a few things!"

"You probably wouldn't know how!" Sora giggled.

"Ooh, testy, testy!" Riku started to push Sora down onto the couch, still hugging him tightly. "Someone's got a mouth!"

"Mine's not as bad as yours," laughed the brunet, pushing against him. Riku snickered.

"Oooh, that's right, I've got a _dirty_ mouth!" He bragged, suddenly surprising Sora with tickling fingers. Sora burst into fits of hysteria and kicked his stocking feet, arms flailing. Riku snickered and continued the hilarious assault, quickly discovering that Sora's sides and neck were extremely sensitive.

"Sto-hop! Stop! _Stop—_AAH! N-Not fa-ir!"

"You sound like a girl!"

"Sh-Shut up!" Sora twisted around as Riku made his muscles jump and screamed again, trying and failing to get Riku to stop. He started to kick at the other's side, but Riku didn't let up.

"Stooop, STOP! I can't breeeathe!" It was quite true, too, because Sora wasn't able to end the bubbling laughter that continued to spill out of him. Riku grinned maliciously.

"What's that? I can't hear you!"

"You ASS!" Sora shrieked, flinging his arms and legs about wildly, trying hard to stifle his hysterics. Finally, when he could hear the beat of his own heart in his ears and feel it in his chest, Riku stopped, and Sora's giggles began to slowly die down—although now, he was laughing because it had been so funny.

"Owwww, my siiides," he whimpered through snickers. Riku reached up and snaked his fingers through Sora's hair, mussing it up and pushing Sora's shirt up over his stomach.

"Sides hurt?" He asked. Sora was still snickering when he nodded weakly, looking into Riku's eyes. Riku smiled and lay down on top of him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Well, that was fun."

"You're such an ass," Sora groaned. Riku nuzzled him.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You don't have to tell me twice." He shifted so that the two of them lay down on the couch, spooned against each other, alternating between staring at the T.V., and each other.

"Are you nervous about the trial?" Sora asked suddenly.

Riku got a concerned expression. "I'm...I don't know." He admitted. "I've got mixed feelings. We'll see what happens when the thing starts." He rubbed Sora's arm and looked down at him. "My fate's in Lulu's hands, so I guess I'll just have to trust she'll know what she's doing."

Sora smiled up at Riku. "You know we'll be watching from the audience," he said. "Me and Selphie will cheer you on."

"Hope so." Riku replied. "I think I might need a little bit of that cheeriness you're so chocked full of."

_So that I can keep my mind off my own problems, _Riku thought dismally.


	53. Ch 53: Apprehensive Measures

**Author's Notes:** Ta-daa! Here it is. The trial.

Sorry Naru-Freak, like I said, the lemon just wouldn't have worked well with the elements I'm trying to create. Would have soaked the story in too many Hollywood Cliches by then. Trust me, though, I'll make up for it if you could just have some patience. I never said the lemon was totally gone, I just said that I dropped it. ...And now I've just moved it to another location in the story...

In any case. I'm glad people are still reading this story. I'm shaking with rage at a few things at the moment, but I won't give up. This story is my baby, and I swore to myself I would finish it. Besides, since the contest is still going, I can't back out now, or all that precious fanart I was given would be a waste!

**Warning:** We have entered a "shaky realism" zone. Everything you see from now on will either be inaccurate or as accurate as can be achieved. But I would expect that the inaccuracy will be more common...that makes me feel a little nervous about writing this.

I'm still not positive about how to split up the court days. I _know _I don't want to do all of this in one day. Dammit, TNT, where the hell did you put Special Victims Unit? Give me Special Victims Unit! (Which reminds me - to whomever gave me that link to the mock trials site, thanks a bunch, it really helped out for giving me a loose outline!)

* * *

Chapter 53

_"Apprehensive Measures"_

Court was at nine o'clock on Friday morning. Of course it meant that Riku and his witnesses would miss some school time; but, given what this was about, none of them minded at all. When Lulu called their houses and asked them to be her witnesses, Tidus, Sora and Roxas more than gladly obliged. Now, the three of them were there with Riku, all of them dressed as nicely as they could look and giving all the support they could for Riku during his time of need. Tifa had her hands on her son's shoulders, and if not that, she wasn't leaving his side, looking around the courtroom and glaring at Ansem when he walked in. She was dressed in a knee-length, dark-brown skirt and a white blouse under a brown jacket to match, earrings matching the outfit and make-up on her face. It was one of the few times Riku had ever seen his mother dressing up even _this _feminine.

Still, this wasn't what bothered him, but what did make him nervous was that he hadn't stopped hearing that Voice since he entered the courtroom. He bit his lip and had his head down, messing with the cuffs of his suit. He would do that, or look pleadingly at Sora for something, who was standing close by him as relaxed as can be.

"Riku, are you sure you're okay?" Sora tilted his head. "You're pale."

Riku swallowed hard and squeezed his own hand, wringing them nervously. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I just can't..."

_...Can't stop hearing things._

_Of course not! You know that what you're doing is ungrateful! He gave you a home when no one else would! This is how you repay that?_

Riku grabbed his seat next to Lulu and sat down to stare at the tabletop and burn the Voice out of his head, but it still remained—chiding him in his ears and ringing off the walls of his skull. Sora tilted his head, frowning, and tugged on Lulu's sleeve.

"Ma'am?"

Lulu, with her hair up to show both her eyes and wearing a suit also, turned around. "Yes?"

"I think you should know..." Sora paused, and got Lulu to move away from Riku. "I think Riku's been having some problems. I mean, most of the time he's fine, but sometimes it's like...in his head..."

"What do you mean?" Asked Lulu.

"Well..." Sora's brow creased, and he glanced at his boyfriend worriedly. "He's had a few...relapses. I'm just saying, he might not be feeling real good."

"Don't worry about it," Lulu said. "I'll make sure Riku gives a good statement. There's little chance Ansem can try anything in here, and I could call for Recess if I have to."

"Okay," Sora nodded his head and sat down with Tidus and Roxas. Both leaned over to talk with him as Tifa took a seat also.

"So do you think we're gonna win?"

"Of course we'll win," Sora said to Tidus. "We have to. I mean, if we don't, Ansem will still be walking free in our neighborhood."

When the time finally came for the trial to begin, Riku's eyes were glazed and he was trying and failing to pay attention the best he could. He barely heard the policeman up front announcing the beginning of the trial.

"All rise! Court is now in session! Honorable Judge Auron Dracona residing."

Everyone rose up out of their seats as Auron sat down in his up front, rubbing at his bad eye and fixing the stack of papers in front of him. He waved a tired hand. "Sit down," he said gruffly. All obeyed. He sighed and squinted at the papers, and looked up.

"Miss Sykes, you are defending Riku Lockheart in this case."

"Yes, Your Honor."

"Your statement?" Auron crossed his hands in front of him. Lulu straightened her posture with her hands barely touching the table.

"Riku is a victim of rape, abuse and negligence, Your Honor. He suffered for four years at the hands of Ansem Atercor, the Defendant, who is with us today. I have several witnesses and evidence to present to the court."

Auron turned to Luxord. "And _your_ statement, Mister Kramer?"

"My client is not guilty, Your Honor." Luxord argued. "He may be attracted to men far younger than him, but he has never _forced _Riku into anything. Riku is a high school teenager and is simply looking to cause trouble for my client. I have eyewitness accounts to prove that he is really a good man, albeit a bit strange for the average society."

Auron squinted and blinked, leaning back and then forward again. "Well then, let's get on with it. Miss Sykes, as the prosecutor in this criminal case, steps indicate you will present first. Would you please call your first witness?"

"Of course, Your Honor." Lulu had a calm look on her face, confident and strong. "I would like to call Tidus Heartilly to the stand."

"Wish me luck," Tidus whispered briefly before he got up and went to the witness stand. When he sat down, he was sworn into oath, and then Lulu began her questioning.

"Tidus, how long have you known the Plaintiff?"

Tidus shifted slightly. "Since he first moved in."

"And how long ago was that?" Lulu asked.

The blond paused for a moment. "Well, he lived with someone else in the same neighborhood about a month or two before Ansem. But he came back again under Ansem's care later. I guess his first guardian couldn't afford to take care of him."

"I see..." Lulu tilted her head, beginning to pace. "And when he was with this prior guardian, how did Riku seem to you?"

Tidus blinked. "How did he _seem?_"

"That's right."

"...Happy, I guess. He was a little quiet, but he wasn't acting out of the ordinary or anything. We got along great. I was the first friend he made."

Lulu turned on her heels to better face Tidus during her slow pacing. "And after that—after his foster home changed?"

Tidus frowned. "It wasn't immediate, but he did change. Still quiet as ever...just more prone to getting...angry."

"And did you suspect there was a reason to Riku's behavioral changes?"

The blond shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I knew there had to be _something_..."

"What did you believe the reason behind the changes was?"

Tidus paused, and glanced at Ansem, who leered at him. Tidus quickly turned back to Lulu. "I thought he might have been having problems at home, and I knew he didn't get along with Ansem very well. I understood that, because I'm a foster child, too, so I kinda knew how he felt. So I just tried to give Riku support. I just didn't immediately consider abuse."

Lulu hit a mental wince at the final sentence, but said nothing. All in all, it had been a good questioning. What was going to be difficult was to avoid leading her own witnesses. Cross-examining would give her breathing room for that.

"Thank you, Tidus." She nodded politely to him and went back to sit beside Riku. As she did, she took a moment to look him over and noticed he was still staring at the table. That concerned her. _Maybe Sora was right, _she thought. _This might be harder if Riku freezes up at the stand._

Luxord was starting his cross-examination. "Exactly _how _well did you know the Plaintiff?"

"Pretty well."

"Well enough to determine if he was _lying,_ or acting out in defiance?"

Lulu stood up. "Objection!"

"Sustained." Auron squinted his bad eye and then left it be.

"I knew Riku to the point where I could tell if something was wrong with him, if that's what you mean."

"But did you ever think that perhaps the Plaintiff was simply _moody,_ as all teenagers tend to be?"

"...No."

Luxord crossed his arms behind his back. "Why not?"

"Because he didn't get unpredictable until after Ansem adopted him."

Luxord turned his head. " 'Unpredictable'?"

"He would often wear these weird outfits to school and he became hard to approach. Riku would lash out frequently." Tidus shrugged as he explained, "He got violent, and a lot of the kids grew scared of him."

Luxord paused to think for a moment, and then closed in towards the witness stand, looking straight into Tidus' eyes. "You said you suspected Riku was having problems at home. Can you specify what you believed those problems to be?"

It was the blond's turn to stop and consider, not sure of how to answer. Creasing his brow, Tidus licked his lips and answered, "I thought it might have been because he'd been switched to a new foster home. Still, when he moved in the first time, he just seemed like he was glad to get away and live in a real house."

Luxord drew back. "No further questions."

"Very well." Auron peered at Tidus. "You can get down now, son. Miss Sykes, would you please call your next witness?"

Lulu nodded curtly and glanced towards her witnesses. "I'd like to call Roxas Jurgen to testify."

Roxas took his turn up at the witness stand. Riku was still switching between staring at the table and staring at Ansem, and started to rub his forehead a little. He straightened up when he caught Auron glancing at him suspiciously, and pressed against the back of his chair with his hands folded. But his eyes were still clearly unfocused and dazed. Sora watched the whole time, and was frowning with worry. He didn't know if Riku could even testify today. He was looking really jittery.

"And did _you _ever notice anything out of the ordinary about Riku?"

"He was _always _out of the ordinary." Roxas replied. "He rarely ever wore short sleeves. Even in the summer, you could usually find him wearing long-sleeve shirts and jeans."

"Did you ever wonder if there was a reason for Riku's behavior?"

"Lots of times, yeah. But like Tidus said, he was tough to talk to. We didn't start to really think about it until this one time—after Riku went ballistic on Tidus in the schoolyard. Our English teacher had to pin him to the bus to keep him from giving Tidus a black eye."

"You thought this was especially strange of him?"

Roxas nodded his head. "Yeah! I mean, before then, Riku might have threatened people, and sure he threw punches, but Tidus was always the guy he would hang all over and act mutually friendly with."

Lulu nodded her head, still pacing slightly. She approached the stand and folded her hands in front of her lap. "You and Tidus entered Ansem's house at one point, didn't you?"

"Yes." Roxas nodded his head. "We were hoping we could get some proof that Ansem was abusing Riku."

"Did you find it?"

Roxas shrugged. "Me and Tidus didn't, but I'm guessing Sora must have, because his pictures took over the news the next day."

"What pictures?" Lulu asked.

"Of Ansem's basement. Of all the stuff that was down there."

"What sort of things?"

"...From what I saw, there were a lot of whips and knives and stuff. Kinky bondage—S&M sex. You know what I mean, right?"

"Yes," Lulu replied. "Thank you, Roxas. No further questions."

Luxord jumped at the chance so fast that Roxas almost felt like he was being eaten. "You entered Ansem's house?" He demanded.

"Yes."

"_Without_ permission, isn't that right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Meaning that you _trespassed_ on Ansem's personal property?"

Roxas nodded, but he had a wicked grin on his face when he did. "Yep."

Luxord narrowed his eyes. "Do you know that it is wrong to trespass on someone's personal property?"

"Sure I do. We both knew. But anything for a friend, right?"

"Did you ever think to call the authorities?"

"Of course, after we got booted out. But the phones were all dead. I guess there must have been a downed power line or something."

"What about before that?"

"Like I said, we didn't think about it, and we just tried to support Riku because we knew he was going through something rough."

Luxord peered at Roxas sideways. "You _knew_, or you _thought_ that there was something wrong with Riku?"

_"Knew._ He was short-tempered, violent, plus we sometimes saw some strange cuts on his chest and stomach. During one school term when he actually made the effort to show up for gym, in the locker room he would change before everyone else. Me and Tidus went in once and we saw a lot of bruises and cuts all over his stomach."

Luxord looked appalled. "If this was as serious as you believed it to be, why didn't you act any sooner?"

Roxas raised an eyebrow, and looked at Riku, then at Luxord again. "Because Riku would have eaten us alive if we did. We let intimidation get the best of us. That was a bad choice."

Lulu was biting her nail in her seat before putting her hands down on the table, so as not to do that again. This wasn't looking good. Some evidence was in her favor, but not all of it. She smelled a Hung Jury. Thankfully, it was still early on in the case—if she could prove Sora had some good eyewitness accounts and Riku wasn't too shaken by the time he testified, the case woul have a major swing in their favor. So Lulu clasped her hands and prayed silently that her plan was going to work.

It had to, or else she wouldn't be able to live it down knowing that a child rapist had been set free on her accounts to fail in proving him guilty.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **...Do you see why I'm so worried about writing this? 


	54. Ch 54: Trials of Testimony

**Author's Notes: **First of all, I'm noticing that this is giving me a helluva lot more writer's blocks than I'm used to having. Second, I'm glad that everyone likes the court case so far, and I'm happy that the general majority are not only giving me tips and support, but are finding it to be believable.

Thirdly, I realized JUST NOW that I've got a bit of a blooper in this story. Uh-oh, bloopers! Run awaaay! Yes, well, I realized I may have picked the wrong last name for Luxord. Because I just remembered that I think I gave _Edea _that last name, seeing as how in FFVIII, she was married to _Cid Kramer. _Oopies. Oh well - bloopers are always fun to discuss, right?

But really, it's so difficult to keep track of everyone, so I guess I just kinda lost my mind for a minute there. Ha ha! More than usual, I mean. But I found it again. I put what's left of it on a leash so that it doesn't wander off too far on its own.

To make up for the obscenely long wait on this chapter (you know, compared to _every frickin' day_), I should have the next one up sometime this evening. In the meantime, bang your heads against the tables for the cliffie. Or not. Wouldn't want your brains to get squished.

* * *

Chapter 54

_"Trials of Testimony"_

Sora's turn to give testimony was giving Riku the butterflies. He and the brunet exchanged brief glances of concern and support before Sora sat down in the witness stand, and Riku resisted the urge to bite down on a nail. He kept his eyes down again.

_He's going to ruin everything. You'd better do something to save the person who gave you a roof over your head!_

Riku grit his teeth behind pursed lips and pushed the Voice back, but it fought with a vengeance. _Who took you in when no one else would? Not even that lame Marcus bastard kept you as long as Ansem did! Who gave you food on your plate and clothes on your back?_

_Who raped me and put me through hell for four years of my life? _Riku countered, trying to argue with it when suppressing it didn't work.

_That's YOUR own fault because you wouldn't listen to him! Like the time with the pink dress..._

_There was NO WAY I was wearing that to school!_

_But you were hurt for weeks, weren't you?_

Unbeknownst to Riku, Ansem was watching this with a smile on his face. It was just his luck that Riku would choke up at a critical time like this. If he consented to everything he'd done to that boy, he would be out of jail for sure. Luxord would adore that, too, he was certain.

"You were with the Plaintiff when he ran away from Ansem's house, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am." Sora nodded his head.

"Where were you before that?"

"In Ansem's basement," Sora explained. "I was the one in charge of taking pictures. Tidus and Roxas were the lookouts."

"Did you see anything in Ansem's basement that would indicate he had abused Riku at any point in time?"

"Absolutely." Sora nodded again. "There was a whole bunch bondage equipment and sex toys. So much that it was kinda scary."

Lulu began to go back to where Riku was sitting and took up a stack of familiar-looking photographs. "If I may present to the court, my first piece of evidence, Exhibit A." Lulu approached the stand and placed them in front of Sora, who looked down at them. "Sora, these are the pictures you took of Ansem's basement. Correct?"

"Yeah. Those are it."

"Objection, Your Honor!" Luxord cried, standing up. "Those photos were taken without permission when the witness and his friends _trespassed _on Ansem's property. It can't possibly be liable evidence against the Defendant in this case! They weren't taken with a _warrant!_ The witness doesn't even work with the authorities!"

"These photographs were developed under local police authorities who were hired to search for Riku and Sora when they were missing, Your Honor." Lulu said calmly, countering Luxord's argument.

"That doesn't make them legitimate evidence!"

Auron glared at Luxord with his squinting eyes. "_Sit down,_ Mister Kramer, you are overruled. I'm allowing the use of these photographs as evidence against your client."

Luxord didn't look happy with that, and neither did Ansem. Sora wanted to grin and say something witty (or just smartassed), but he held back from it. This _was _a court room, after all.

Lulu resumed her questions towards Sora. "To resume, these _are _the photos _you _took of Ansem's basement?"

"Yes, ma'am." Sora replied. "And a few of them weren't very clean..."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, some of them still had Riku's blood on them."

"Are there any such items in these photographs that you could point out to the court?"

Sora picked up the photos and shuffled through them carefully. He finally came to one and pointed to it. Riku could see it even from where he was sitting, and looked away quickly, because it was the pink dress Ansem tried to make him wear that one time. His blood was still clearly on it. Ansem had never put it in the wash, but instead hung it for display—to remind Riku that it was the first and _last _time he would win against Ansem.

"This one. This is a dress with Riku's blood on it. It was probably meant for him to wear it."

Lulu nodded calmly and took the photos, briefly showing it to the Jury before putting them away. "Just one last question, Sora, and then we can move on." She folded her hands in front of her lap, gazing into Sora's oceanic eyes. She seemed to be displaying support and understanding. "When you were in Ansem's basement...did he do anything to try and harm you?"

Sora paused for a long time, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

"Sora?"

"Yeah." The brunet licked his lips. "Yeah, he took a knife and he cut me." Sora traced a finger over his chest where the fading scar was hidden. "Right here."

"Anything else?"

Sora looked into the court audience and could see that his parents were watching with pleading looks on their faces. They were probably praying. There was something they didn't want to hear—but he had to say it, or else this case would be more difficult for Riku.

Steeling himself, Sora swallowed. "Yes," he said slowly, "He...he stuck his fingers in me, and he tried to rape me." He added quickly, "But Riku stopped him. That was when we ran away."

Lulu slowly walked up to the witness stand, and put her hands on the railing, nodding. She met her eyes with Sora, and Sora could see that she was telling him silently that she was proud for him to stand up like that.

"Thank you, Sora." She smiled. "I have no further questions."

Sora smiled back, briefly, and again looked at the faces of his parents. Both of them looked very pale, and his mother's head was bowed as if in prayer. He'd been right—they _had _been praying.

"Why did you take the photographs of Ansem's basement?" Luxord suddenly asked, startling Sora.

"Huh?"

"I asked you why you took photographs of the Defendant's home."

"Because I was trying to help Riku," Sora replied. "I've seen the damage Ansem's done to him. I didn't want him to stay in a house like that, with that man. He didn't deserve it."

Luxord blinked. "Damage? What kind of damage?"

"The scars on him," Sora replied. "Everywhere, all over his back and stomach. Whip scars, burn marks, knife cuts, you name it. Riku's covered in them."

"How would you know that Ansem had inflicted those wounds on him?"

Sora glared. "Because no one else would hurt Riku so badly. Besides, they didn't look self-inflicted to me."

"I would like to know when you saw these scars, Sora." Luxord said sternly. "Was it _before_ or _after_ you trespassed on Ansem's property?"

"Objection!"

"Overruled." Auron grunted, rubbing at his bad eye.

Sora bit his lip. He hated this guy! He wanted to snap at him that he'd seen Riku naked plenty of times. But, not only was this embarrassing, but it wasn't a very good response. He did think of a better one, though.

"Riku's mom stopped by the school counselor's office and called him down one time. I happened to be around looking for the counselor, and I was going to go into her office to see her, but I saw Riku and his mom were inside instead. He had his shirt off and he was showing his scars to his mother. That was a few days before I took the pictures." Sora shook his head. "I wasn't going to let Ansem do that again. I knew they had to be Ansem's damage, because Tidus had told me about Riku's abuse right around then."

Luxord grit his teeth silently. _Very clever, you little shrew,_ he thought. _Next griller, then._

"Then what about the dress? How do you know it was _Riku's _blood that was on it?"

Sora couldn't pull back the bubble of laughter that burst out of him, but he covered his mouth and swallowed the rest of it quickly before he answered, "I don't think Ansem would have come within a _mile_ of wearing that dress! It was way too small for him, and way too girly, so he probably wanted Riku to wear it to play a part of one of his sick fantasies."

Luxord froze. He narrowed his eyes, leering, and turned. "I'm done here, Your Honor." He grumbled, sitting down with Ansem again.

Auron grunted and blinked his eyes a couple of times. "You can sit down, Sora." He said, turning to Lulu now. "Miss Sykes, the moment of truth for you. Has your client agreed to take to the stand and testify?"

Lulu looked down at Riku. He briefly met gazes with her before turning away.

"He has, in fact, Your Honor."

"Is your client aware that as the victim of this case, due to any personal reasons that may arise, he was not required to testify?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

"And that at any time, if a question by the Defense is deemed illegal, he doesn't have to answer?"

Luxord hissed, mentally.

"Yes, Your Honor, he is aware of this." Answered Lulu.

Auron gave a stern look to Luxord, as if in warning, and then he said, "Then I will allow the victim, Riku Lockheart, to testify in court."

Riku swallowed hard, and stood up, moving towards the stand and sitting down slowly. He clasped his hands tightly in his lap, and when he looked up, he could feel Ansem's eyes boring holes into him—which didn't help his nerves one bit. Lulu came up to him now, and put a reassuring hand on the railing.

"Riku, how old are you?" She asked. Riku gulped again. _Age. That's not so bad, _he thought.

"Seventeen."

"Meaning that under Alexandrian court law, you are being tried as a juvenile."

Riku's voice was getting shaky. Sora could hear it. "Yes," Riku nodded his head, "That's right."

Lulu drew back. "Riku, I have only one question for you. And I'll try to say this so as to be courteous." She folded her hands in front of her skirt again. After a pause, going over how she could say this, she asked carefully, "Did Ansem, at any time, harm you, or invade your body in any way, without your consent?"

Riku froze. Ansem was staring at him. Right as she'd asked that.

Lulu thought he'd lost her, so she rephrased. "Did Ansem rape you, Riku?"

All Riku could hear was his heart pounding in his chest, and that Voice, that DAMN VOICE. Ringing in his ears like mad, screaming at him so loud he couldn't understand it or himself. He swallowed again and his eyes cast down. He didn't know how long he'd been silent, but it had been far too long for the court.

"Riku?" Lulu asked.

Auron looked down from where he was sitting. "Son, you've taken an oath and agreed to testify. You have to answer your attorney's question."

Riku clenched his hands in his lap and kept his head down, shoulders scruched to his ears.

Sora bit his lip and watched with a creased brow, one hand over his mouth. _Oh, God, Riku, don't flip out now! _He pleaded. _You can't freeze up now, this is your chance to prove that he's a guilty bastard! I know you can do this...come on..._

Tidus wasn't praying as hard as Sora was. _Oh, shit, he's choking. This is bad. This is very, very bad. Come on, Riku, you gotta bounce back!_

Riku started shaking his head. Lulu clenched her hands. "Riku?"

"Riku, answer the question." Auron ordered. Riku finally drew in a breath.

"I can't." He croaked. Where they were sitting, Sora gasped behind his hand and shut his eyes, wincing, and Tidus grit his teeth. Ansem, however, was beaming like the sun.

"You have to, son." Auron said. "You agreed to testify."

Riku shook his head harder. "I can't," he repeated more firmly.

Auron crossed his arms and leaned over, covering the microphone at his desk. "Son," he said quietly, "If you don't answer the question, I'm going to have to charge you with criminal punishment against the court."

"I can't!" Riku finally shouted it, glaring at Auron. "I can't, dammit!"

Lulu rushed up and grabbed his arm, squeezing it, partially to try and calm him down. She looked up at Auron. "Your Honor, I formally request a short Recess."

Riku whirled around and his wide blue eyes stared at Lulu in shock.

"_Now?_" Auron blinked, rubbing his eye again.

"Yes, Your Honor."

Auron sighed, raising his gavel. "Very well, but short. I'll allow this court a ten-minute Recess. All must return and resume the case when Recess is over." He smacked the gavel down, and people rose up from their seats. Riku fought his way out of the witness box and was practically running, straight to where Sora was. Since the brunet was already standing by that point, he skipped any other steps and rushed him into a hug.

Sora huffed when Riku squeezed him in his arms.

"I can't do this," he muttered. Sora bit his lip.

"Yes you can!" He whispered back.

"No I can't!"

Sora sighed. "Is he okay?" Tidus asked. Roxas got up.

"You're shaking, man!"

Sora drew back and held Riku's hands, looking up into his eyes. "Riku? Riku, look at me." When he was fully seeing those caribbean orbs, he squeezed the palms he held in his own. "It's okay. You're going to be fine."

Riku shook his head. Sora began to lead him backwards. "Come on, let's go outside. We can talk you down before we come back in, okay?"

Sora saw Riku looking over to where Ansem had been sitting, and when he followed the gaze, realized that Ansem was grinning at them. He glared, and took Riku by his arm, starting to walk towards the doors.

"Don't think about him!" He insisted. "Come on. Tidus, Roxas, let's go. Riku's getting scared."

"I can't believe you froze up in the witness stand," Roxas muttered. Tidus elbowed him, glaring. Roxas gasped. "Er, I mean—like, you're gonna be fine."

"Smooth." Tidus hissed at him.

When the two looked over at Ansem, Ansem was still grinning. Both blonds glared at him, and turned their sides to him, holding up their arms like a barrier over Riku and Sora's faces, and walked with them out of the court room.


	55. Ch 55: Makeshift Therapy

**Author's Notes: **Soooo I didn't update when I said I would, but I still made up for it.

This was really, really _juicy_. Just _dripping _with angst. I _liked _writing this chapter. I hope everyone likes reading it.

* * *

Chapter 55

_"Makeshift Therapy"_

Standing just outside the court room now, Riku was hugging Sora tightly and Sora was rocking him back and forth in a slight sway, while Tidus and Roxas sat down on a nearby bench. Roxas wasn't joking when he'd said it earlier; Riku really _was _shaking. Sora could feel his fingertips quivering in his hair.

"I can't do this," Riku muttered, "I can't, I can't, I can't..."

"Stop it!" Sora scolded, standing at half-arm's length and glaring at him. "Who says you can't, huh? You mean you can beat this guy until he's dead, but you can't stand up to him in court?"

Riku shook his head frantically, eyes wide. "This is different! This doesn't depend on my _life! _Not like _that! _I can't do this! Ohhh...!" Riku moaned and his hands flew up to his hairline, and he raked his fingers back through his hair, starting to pace and mumble to himself. Sora was growing more worried by the second. He knew Riku had issues, but even he had never seen him acting _this _bad. If this was a relapse, it was a really, really nasty one.

Roxas cocked his head. "Dude, are you _sane?_" He mumbled.

"Riku?" Sora tried to reach out and touch Riku's shoulder, but the other wouldn't stand still. Sora finally stretched his hand out and snatched Riku by his collar, reeling him back and turning him so that they were facing each other. "Riku. Riku, look at me."

Riku wasn't listening. He covered his ears and shook his head, muttering to himself. Sora thought he caught something along the lines of, "Oh my God, it's right, it's so right, but I know it's _not _right, and it won't shut up, it won't go away, oh God..."

"Hey!" Sora reached up underneath those silver strands and cupped his hands to Riku's cheeks, tilting his head down. Riku whimpered, his hands still covering his ears. "Hey," he said more gently, "Look at me."

Finally succeeding with eye contact, after a pause, Sora stood up on his toes and was almost nose-to-nose with Riku. He used his fingers to brush away some strands of silver hanging in the other's face, and breathed worriedly, "What's _wrong?_"

Riku gulped and shut his eyes, breathing deeply, hands sliding down over his face. "It just..." flustered, his hands shook and turned into claw-like positions, "I can't make it _shut up!_"

"Can't make what shut up? Riku?"

"Schizophrenic."

Sora blinked and looked at Tidus. "What?"

"I think Riku is schizophrenic."

Sora had never heard this giant fancy word before, but it sounded bad. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Voice," Riku blurted, covering his face.

"...It means he sometimes hears voices in his head." Tidus explained.

"That's what I said!" Riku growled, pointing at his skull. "_Voice!_"

Sora looked crestfallen. "Riku, is that true?" He asked, turning to him. Riku dug his fingers through his hair again, sighing heavily.

"I heard it all the time, every day of every hour of every _minute,_ and it kept me from dying when I was with HIM..." He clenched the muscles in his hands, shaking his head back and forth. "But now it _sided_ with him, and it won't shut up!" Riku looked down with guilty eyes. "I-It was gone for a while when I was with you, but I still heard it whispering..."

"Don't tell me you're listening to it?" Roxas wondered. Riku glared at him.

"Well it's no fucking _picnic_ trying to _block_ it out, you twink!"

Roxas' jaw dropped. Tidus covered his mouth to hide a grin that escaped after he gaped in dumbstruck awe.

"Ssh, Riku, keep your voice down." Sora wrapped his arms around one of Riku's now. "You mean you heard this thing when we were in there just now?"

Lulu had exited the room by this point, and just walked in on the conversation. She interrupted Sora's question with one of her own, looking down at Riku. "What happened in there?"

"Riku has schizophrenia." Tidus explained. Lulu blinked, staring at her client, stunned.

"And you never told me this?"

Riku flung his arms up. "We got you last minute!" He hissed quietly. "What, I was supposed to tell you I was _crazy?_"

"It would have helped," Lulu admitted firmly. "I could have recommended you a therapist and prescription medication."

"Oh _God!_" Riku laughed, covering his face with his hands again. He laughed quite a bit. "I'm going to be a pill popper...!"

Lulu sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, one arm crossed over her chest. "Riku, calm down. You're working yourself up. Take some deep breaths."

"I _am_ taking deep breaths!" Riku insisted in a whimper. "I'm breathing, dammit, breathing!"

"Riku..." Lulu sighed.

"I can't fuckin' do this!" He rambled, shaking. "I can't go in there and—and—_and_ _stop STARING at me, you clown-faced RAPIST!_" Riku suddenly caught the Cheshire Cat grin directed at him from Ansem and shouted at him across the hall. Lulu immediately grabbed him and turned him so that he wasn't looking in that general direction.

"That's _enough_ of that," she hissed, grasping his shoulders. "Do that again and you could be accused of verbal assault!"

Sora slumped a little and his eyes turned skyward as he went into his own world of thought.

"He's staring at me," Riku complained, "he's staring right at me, just like he did in the court room! He's looking at me and he's waiting for me to fuck up, I know it!"

"And that's exactly why we have to avoid that," Lulu said, as calmly as she could. "Riku, listen. You have to be _calm. _You have to _breathe. _Breathe, okay? Close your eyes—forget about Ansem, forget about the case..."

"Oh my God, I'm gonna fuck up," Riku pulled on the hair at his hairline. He was trembling. "Don't make me go back up on that stand, please! I don't wanna testify!"

Lulu groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose again. This wasn't helping. Maybe if she were a better therapist.

"Hey...Riku..." Tidus stood up. "Man, you're really wired up. Stop talking for a minute, okay? Maybe that'll help a little."

Riku moaned.

"Try thinking happy thoughts!" Roxas said lamely.

Riku moaned again.

"This isn't helping," Lulu grumbled to herself, sighing and rubbing her forehead, feeling a headache approach as Riku's breathing remained erratic and fearful. Tidus and Roxas exchanged glances, frowning. They weren't experts, either.

Tidus started. "Maybe if you try—"

Sora tugged Riku's hands down away from his face, stood on his toes, cupped Riku's cheeks, pulled him down, and kissed him.

There was a whole rainbow of expressions that rippled around the hall, but the most prominent one was shock, coupled with a hateful glare from Ansem and a few embarrassed, turn-away glances by Sora's parents, being reminded that their son was apparently gay.

One would think that Sora or Riku would realize what was happening, but neither one of them managed to take into account that the entire hallway had fallen silent, and that everyone was staring at them.

Riku shut his eyes upon instinct, though at first, he didn't kiss back; just letting Sora kiss him, feeling Sora's tongue on his lips, feeling that slick muscle prying passed his tightly-shut mouth and deepening the kiss, and knowing how Sora tilted his head and buried his fingers into soft, cloud-white hair. Riku felt Sora's lips drawing back and putting suction on his own, opening and descending on his again for another round. By the third one, Riku was returning the kiss eagerly, almost hungrily—residents of the hallway be damned!—and he was beginning to stop his frantic trembling. His heart was ramming against his ribcage still, but the adrenalyne rush was an entirely different one now.

Roxas had his eyes covered, Tidus was blushing and looking in another direction, mouth hidden by his hand, and Lulu was clenching her fingers by her mouth, eyes wandering, looking like she was out of ways to preoccupy herself.

"Mmmm," Sora purred, his fingers drawing forward and running down the soft curve of Riku's neck as the other explored his mouth with his tongue.

"A-_hem._"

Neither of them was quite sure exactly who was the source of that informative cough, but it definitely made them stop. Sora was now flush-faced and Riku was dazed, but he definitely wasn't shaking, pacing, mumbling, or screaming. So after an uncomfortable pause, Sora looked up and asked, "Is that better?"

Riku nodded his head dumbly.

"But it's still talking..."

"But you feel better, right?" Sora asked. Riku rubbed his eyes and nodded. Sora squeezed his hand.

"How about when you try again, if you hear it talking, you remember that kiss? Think that'll help?"

Riku blinked, swallowing. "...Maybe," he muttered.

Lulu stared at Sora. "What was that?" She wondered. Sora looked up, paused, and then smiled cheekily, face flushed.

"Um...makeshift therapy?"

She sighed. "I suppose whatever works, works," Lulu murmured. "At least Riku's not having an aneurysm now."

Tidus gave Sora a thumbs-up. "Way to makeshift make-out, Sora."

Roxas snorted. "Makeshift make-out...heh."

Sora blushed, smiling nervously. "W-Well, like Miss Sykes said, whatever works works, right?" He hugged Riku around his waist, nuzzling his chest. "Besides," he said, looking up at him, "I'll be sitting right there watching, and we'll all be rooting for you. So don't freeze up again, okay?" He kissed Riku's cheek. "I know you can do it."

The ten-minute Recess was over shortly after. Riku was called back up to the witness stand. Auron blinked his eyes, peering down at him in the seat where he was.

"Riku, I presume there will be no further outbursts, unless you want to revoke your choice to testify?"

Riku swallowed, looking at Auron, and fleetingly seeing Ansem cross his vision. "I..." Sora squeezed his hands together in his lap, gazing at him calmly. "...I'll testify."

It was Ansem's turn to be crestfallen, and Luxord sat down with a hand lifted up to his chin as he thought. Lulu once again approached the stand.

"Shall we try this again, Riku?" She asked, gently. Riku nodded his head.

"Yes."

"Again—I only have one important question for you." Lulu folded her hands in front of her skirt, as seemed to be a customary gesture for her. "Were you ever, at any point in the past four years, raped or abused?"

Riku's eyes were very bright, like he was ready to cry as he had when Sephiroth raved about Ansem in Cloud's house. But he swallowed, and no tears showed in his eyes. He looked past Lulu, at Sora, and saw the brunet was still giving him a very calm, very collected gaze.

Riku clenched his fists in his lap. "Yes."

Some people in the crowd murmured very silently as Lulu sighed with relief. "And the person who raped you—is he in this room today?"

Riku nodded more surely this time. "Yes, he is." Though his voice was still trembling. He flinched from the waist down, because he could feel Ansem's amber eyes burning him with their vengeful fire. But at the same time, Sora's ocean orbs were soothing him with waves of comfort.

"Can you point him out to the court?" Lulu asked.

Here Riku hesitated. Again, he was feeling that sense of two sides to the outcome. He swallowed, looking at the two people on the opposite sides of the room who were influencing him the most at that moment.

Hesitantly, his hand lifted up and stopped...

...And he pointed it straight at Ansem, looking dead ahead at him, and for the first time that day, the two of them met with glares that were equal in their ferocity.

"It's the Defendant." He clarified.

"Thank you, Riku. Thank you very much." Lulu was telling him, "Good job," with her eyes as she went to sit. Riku's heart was thudding in his chest already, and he sighed heavily, his hand quickly thrusting back into his lap. Sora was beaming at him, nodding proudly.

But now it was Luxord's turn, and unfortunately, Ansem's attorney didn't have _any_ agenda to be _quite_ as gentle as Lulu.

Immediately, the blond-haired gambling lawyer stood up and approached so suddenly that Riku almost coiled back in his seat. And upon the same instant, Tidus and Roxas began to look worried, while Sora bit his lip and tightened his hands in his lap. _It's okay, Riku, it's okay—just don't freeze up!_

"Tell us, Riku, during the times you spent with Ansem, is it possible that you were ever sexually excited or aroused?"

The question was completely invasive, and a complete curveball, and the look of horror on Riku's face showed that Luxord had done a bang-up job knocking him off his feet when he'd just started to get comfortable.

"Your Honor, _objection!_" Lulu cried, looking just as shocked as Riku.

"Mister Kramer, that was _out of line._" Auron growled. "The Jury will disregard that question, and Riku does _not _have to answer that."

Riku was once again back to being terrified, though. Tidus grit his teeth. _Shit! That was a _scare tactic! _It didn't matter how illegal the question was, as long as he snapped the fear back into him..._

"I apologize." Luxord's tone was dripping with imitative sympathy. "Let me ask another question." Luxord put his hands on the railing, looking at Riku. "Are you sure that you're not _lying _about the _alleged_ non-consentual sex between you and my client?"

Lulu grit her teeth. _You intimidative bastard_, she snarled. "I object! Your Honor, he's badgering the witness!"

"Mister Kramer, rephrase your questions or pick _new_ ones, otherwise your client will have to find a different attorney!"

Luxord drew back deceptively slowly, arms crossed. "Riku," he said quietly, "Are you telling the truth under oath when you say that Ansem raped you?"

"Yes!" Riku cried, eyes still wide. "O-Of course I am!"

"So at no point in time were you ever _enjoying _sexual intercourse with Ansem Atercor?"

Riku shook his head frantically. "No!" He bit his lip. "W-Well..."

Luxord tilted his head. _Jackpot. _"Well, what?"

"I-I..." Riku fidgeted, biting his lip. He looked desperately to Sora. Luxord blocked his view two seconds later, and he stared up at the blond in fear.

"Yes, or no, Riku?"

"Your Honor!" Lulu cried.

"Yes, or no?" Luxord demanded.

"Mister Kramer—"

Riku shot up from his seat, trembling. "HE RAPED ME!" He shrieked, eyes fiery and hard. "I hear _voices_ in my _head_ because of him, _dammit! _Nothing he did to me was EVER consented by me! NEVER!"

Luxord drew back. He'd expected for Riku to break down and crack, but instead the plot had backfired, and it threw off his whole game. Auron had to hit his gavel down a few times to quiet the court room.

"I will have order!" He growled. He now snarled firmly to Luxord, "Mister Kramer, _sit down._ You are _through_ cross-examining the victim. I will hear _no more_ out of you."

Riku slumped loudly back into his seat, breathing hard, his fists shaking. Auron sighed.

"I'm afraid I see a need for another short Recess. Thirty minutes' rest, and then it will be the defense's turn to present their case." Auron smacked down the gavel with a loud _thump_, and this time, it was Sora who was running up to the witness stand and hugging Riku where he sat.

"Oh God, he was terrible to you!" Sora murmured. "Riku, are you okay?"

Riku just stared ahead with blank eyes, trying to control his breathing. Sora shook him. "Riku? Riku, are you okay?"

"He'll be fine, son." Auron said, looking down. "He's just in shock, I think. I'm trying to be kind." He waved them off. "You'd best make what time you can of this Recess."

Sora nodded, thanking him generously and leading Riku out of the seat, taking him outside and hugging him tightly, rocking him, while Tidus and Roxas tackled him with hugs and showered him with praise. Sora glared at Luxord whenever the attorney looked at them, pissed at him for frightening his lover. _How dare he do that to Riku, _he thought, _how DARE he!_

That settled it. Ansem wasn't winning this case. Not in a million years.


	56. Ch 56: Fire to the Flame

**Author's Notes:** Hah! We're not out of the woods yet!

Now, I have an announcement for _all contest participators: **THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO SEND IN YOUR FANART! **_**I am going to stretch out my updates from here on out, but we only have a FEW CHAPTERS LEFT, so hurry up and send them in so I can announce the winner on the _second-to-last chapter!_ Again, _THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE! _Send them in before the boat sets sail without you! **To be fair, I will update with a stretch of about three or four days between each chapter, two at the minimum, to give you guys some more time.

Send them in, send them in! All artistic entries, send them in before the chance is gone!

**P.S.** - for all you fans, there is a cut extension to the bathroom scene at the end of this chapter in my LiveJournal. The link is at the bottom of the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 56

_"Fire to the Flame"_

Outside of the court room, distanced from the others who were present, Luxord paced back and forth, gritting his teeth madly. This was not good. He had been solely relying on Riku to crack under the pressure and admit to consent. If that was gone, he didn't know what he would do. He looked at Ansem, and could see the anger mounting in his eyes.

"Ansem, this is very hard for me because you didn't call any _witnesses._ We have no one to support your guilty statement..."

_I _did _have someone! _Ansem snarled, curling his fingers into hateful fists. _But Sephiroth—fucking _Sephiroth!_—he refused to testify in my favor! That rotten bastard! He gives me the lawyer to do it and the money to cover it, but he won't even lift a _finger_ when it comes to the _important _parts of the case!_

"I'm sure that friend of yours who recommended me would have been able to help," Luxord mentioned (damn, just what Ansem had been thinking), "But since he's not here, it's too late for him to show up now."

Ansem slumped and ran his tense fingers back through his hair. He'd played a dangerous game, and now he was paying for it with his life. A life in prison. He wanted to believe there was another trump card in all this, but there wasn't. He swallowed hard.

_I could switch my statement to "Guilty"...NO! _He snapped his teeth. _Never! I won't succumb to the pressure against a smart-mouthed _brat! _No one gets the best of me. NO ONE._

It was very strange, how Ansem worked. He decidedly refused to give up in his mind, even though in that same mind, he knew there was now no chance of winning. He disliked giving up the battle. Ansem wasn't the kind who would put up the white flag when they knew they were dead. He'd keep charging forward, even if it meant he would hit a brick wall.

Luxord patted his shoulder, already knowing the outcome. Ansem just growled and flicked his hand away. "I need some water," he grumbled.

* * *

"Did...did I do good?"

Sora hugged the taller one tightly and kissed his cheek. "You did _great_, Riku."

Riku breathed with great relief and wrapped his arms around Sora. "But I can still hear it. It's screaming at me now."

Sora looked up. "Does it make your head hurt?" He asked.

"A little..." Riku fondled the spikes of Sora's hair, "But it's bearable whenever I'm around you. Still irritating, though. I'm trying not to yell at it out loud..."

"We'll get you a therapist." Sora said, squeezing Riku's waist and looking up. "That's okay with you, right?"

"I guess so." He placed a kiss on the brunet's forehead. "If it's really necessary." He paused. "What about medicine?"

"We'll get that for you, too."

"Do you think it'll change me at all?"

Sora giggled. "Not besides making you a little more sane. But sanity is a good thing." He nuzzled against Riku's chest. "You've had enough of the _in_sanity, I think...you need the change of pace."

Someone coughed beside them. It ended up being Tidus. "If you two lovebirds haven't noticed, your incessant cuddling is making everyone stare at you."

Riku grinned wolfishly, and hugged Sora tighter, almost possessively.

"Oh, let them stare," he boasted, "I've got the sanity of a hyena and the cutest, cuddliest boyfriend on earth. I like my boyfriend, dammit."

"R-Riku!" Sora whined, blushing deeply at the comment. Riku poked one of his apple-red cheeks.

"See? Isn't he adorable? Isn't he?" Riku nuzzled Sora's other cheek, making the brunet whimper again, as well as causing Tidus to laugh.

"Sora's soooo cute," Riku cooed, "He's cute enough to eat!"

"Aah, no!" Sora cried, as the other wrapped his arms around his shoulders and grinned at him.

"I could just take a big chomp out of him, like this—aaah!" Riku opened his mouth and tried to bite Sora's ear and jaw. The brunet laughed and pushed the other off of him.

"Don't _eat _me!" He giggled.

"The sight of you two, I swear." Tidus shook his head, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. Riku glared suddenly, though at no one in particular.

"Shut up," he snarled.

Tidus paused. "What?"

"Not you, the Voice."

The blond blinked owlishly. "...Aah. Well then."

"I've had all the craziness I can _stand_ for one day!" Roxas moaned, leaning on the arm of the bench he was sitting in. "I'm hungryyy. I want a snack or something. Can't we leave the court house and get some grub?"

"I think they want us to stay here," Tidus replied. "But once this is over, we'll get a bite to eat, all four of us. How's that sound?"

"It sounds like a double date." Riku snickered. Roxas shot up.

"You _know _the two of us aren't gay!" He snapped.

"Oh, I know...but I love to see that look on your face."

Roxas pouted and crossed his arms. Tidus pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, and Sora eyed it with a tilted head.

"Who are you calling, Tidus?"

"Leon. I want to tell him how the case is going."

Sora got a cat-like smile on his face. "You mean that we're kicking Ansem's ass?"

Tidus laughed. "More or less." He held the cell phone up to his ear. "Hey, when he picks up, do you guys want to talk to him?"

"Yeah, why not?" The brunet glanced at Riku. "Do you wanna do that, Riku?"

Riku shook his head, shrugging. "I guess it wouldn't hurt."

* * *

He was feeling quite peaceful like this, actually. He could still smell a little of Cloud's cologne on him. Not surprising; he was lying right next to him.

"This is the sixth time, you know."

Leon groaned. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, don't remind me. We've been at it like rabbits. That reminds me, shouldn't you be too tired to talk?"

Cloud smirked. "Shouldn't you?"

Leon sighed. Admittedly, it wasn't consecutive (thank _God_—he couldn't imagine fucking Cloud six times in a row), but they _had _been having sex an awful lot since that first date. This was definitely walking a line that made him feel a little uneasy. How could he know if it wasn't just his body that attracted Cloud, or that it was just Cloud's that attracted him?

Then again, why had he spent this much time with him?

_Because the sex is good, of course, _he thought. That didn't necessarily mean the dates were terrible, though. The last couple of times they went somewhere, it had been nice. Whenever it fell silent, neither of them bothered to bring up a topic, and would sometimes just sit and soak up the enjoyment of quiet company. One time it was quiet for too long, though, and Cloud suddenly moved over and they made out in the park. Lots of eyes staring at them that one time.

"Do you feel awkward?"

Leon blinked and peered up. "Excuse me?"

"I was asking if you feel awkward."

The brunet paused, breathing deeply, staring into Cloud's eyes. "Well...yeah, a little."

Cloud turned his eyes away, playing his fingers through his golden hair. "Well, think about it this way: we never saw each other's faces when we first met, but we knew each other's aliases. Over three years, we've been chatting and chatting, going on and on, spilling our guts about things we wouldn't normally tell others."

Leon cocked an eyebrow.

"Okay, _fine._ I _understandably_ left a _few_ important things out." Cloud huffed, seeing that look Leon gave him. "But what I mean is this: by the time we finally _did _meet face-to-face, it was like we already knew each other like best friends." He snuggled a little closer, and pressed his cheek against Leon's chest. "Don't you think it's natural that we'd want to make that last leap over the fence right away?"

Leon didn't respond. Instead, he reluctantly returned the cuddling embrace, keeping his thoughts to himself. Cloud sighed, and pushed him over onto his back, tilting his head and giving him a cocky smirk.

"Maybe you'll feel better with that big ego of yours if I just simplify things and say I don't regret it," he stated. Leon blinked.

"Nothing...?"

"Not a damn bit." Cloud nibbled on the other's jawline. "Now c'mere. I'm feeling especially rowdy this morning."

Leon groaned. "It's getting closer to noon..."

"Not really," Cloud purred, nipping Leon's earlobe.

"Ngh. Shouldn't you be moving in with your friends...?"

"Mmm, I could move in with _you..._"

The brunet's heart stopped. "What did you say?"

Then the tune to Nightwish's "Walking in the Air" started jingling. Leon cursed, nudging against Cloud. "Okay, get off."

"Ignore it..." the words were more of a statement than a plea, and Cloud ground against Leon's hips. The brunet grunted, and snapped his teeth tight. _I will not get hard. I will not get hard. Oh fuck, I'm getting hard._

"Cloud, my phone—"

"Is it really that important?"

"_Yes._" Leon growled. "That's Tidus' ringtone."

A sigh. "Alright..." the blond let him squirm out from underneath so that he could bend over the bed and pull the thing out of his jeans pocket and flip it open. Settling down on the bed again, Leon cradled the phone to his ear.

"I'm a little busy. What do you want?"

"Busy doing what? Aren't you off today?" Tidus wondered. Leon sighed, and looked over at Cloud, then back at the ceiling.

"I have a guest over, Tidus."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just thought you might like to know how Riku's case is going."

Blinking, Leon sat up on one elbow. "Is he doing okay?"

"Doing just fine. Why don't you talk to him yourself? Here, I'll hand you over." Leon nodded on his end of the line, and there was a moment of pause before the voice had changed, and he knew who it was.

"Hey..."

"Riku." Leon sat up a little more. "How are you doing?"

"Okay, I guess."

"How is the case?"

"I just testified," Riku replied. Leon nodded again.

"Did you tell the whole truth?"

"Of course! I wouldn't have it any other way." Riku paused. "And I noticed that Ansem didn't have any witnesses with him. It's his sole word against ours. Tidus, Roxas, and Sora testified, too."

Leon, had he the hyperactive notion and not an ounce of sense left in his body, would have dropped the phone and started jumping up and down, dancing on the bed, screaming, "Yes! Yes! Yes! That bastard's going to jail! How do you like THAT, Ansem?" ..._But,_ he _did_ have some sense in him, and Leon was _not_ the hyperactive type. So instead, a very wily grin crossed his face, and he gripped the cell phone tighter.

"That's _great,_ Riku." He said calmly.

"I know. I've got this big rush of _something_ running through me. I've never felt so great in my entire life, I swear. I'm almost scared that it's gonna crumble all around me."

"Well, it won't," Leon assured him. "I promise. You watch. When you go back into that court room, the Jury's gonna pin him guilty as sin. Keep your chin up."

"Yeah, you're right," Riku replied, sounding a little more confident. "...You know, Sora and the others are saying I should get some medicine and a therapist."

Leon blinked. "Medicine? Therapist?" The therapist he could understand, but... "What for?"

"Tidus and the others think I'm schizophrenic. I guess they're right. I keep hearing voices in my head. I have been ever since Ansem's taken me in."

Leon sighed. Well, shit, no wonder. So Ansem didn't just fuck him up physically, but mentally, too. God, he hoped that bastard got raped a million times and then died a rotten death. He deserved it for what he did. Not just to Riku, but to all those other poor kids, too. _I hope he doesn't forget to drop the soap, _Leon thought.

"...And...Leon?"

"Yes? What is it?"

"Well...I know that...you didn't see me very much, but..."

The brunet cocked his head in another direction. Cloud watched him with his chin in one hand, tapping his jawline with his pinky finger.

"...I realize that two years ago when I talked to you, you might not have been able to do much. But...I was scared, and...when I wrote that message to you, it just made me feel a little better."

Leon smiled slightly, chuckling. "So you still remember that...do you know how long it took me to scrub that off? My stomach was raw."

Riku laughed lightly. "Yeah. Well...I just...I want to thank you."

He was confused. "Thank me? Thank me for what?" Leon shook his head. "I don't think it's necessary for you to thank me, Riku."

"Don't say that. It's _very _necessary. I saw it...the way you looked at him, I knew that you knew, too. At first I was mad, and I even hated you a little, because I thought, 'Why did he send me here? Why did he give me to HIM?' But I guess you just wanted to keep your job...and after a while, I forgave you. You took care of me at the foster home, too. I can't forget that. And—"

"Okay, that's enough."

"No, you brought me back to my mother, too! I'm living with her now, and I have you in part to thank. You didn't do much, Leon...but you did _something._ You know?"

"...Yeah."

"Anyway. I guess Tidus wants his phone back, he's got his hands on his hips like a woman and he's giving me this really cross stare. So I'll talk to you later."

Leon nodded his head. "Alright. Sounds good. Take care, Riku."

"You too." Riku paused for a couple of seconds. "Oh, and...take care of your blondie friend, too."

Leon's eyes became saucer-cup sized and he coiled back sharply from the phone, holding it at arm's length. _What the HELL? How did he KNOW that? _He cast a wary glance over at Cloud, who blinked owlishly.

"Is there something on my face?"

"...No...it's nothing..." Leon cradled the phone to his ear again. "Tidus? You there?"

"Yeah, I am now. But hey, I gotta go, alright?"

"Sure."

"Have fun with your guest, okay? Sorry for interrupting!"

Leon groaned, suppressing a blush. "Don't worry about it..."

"Okay, wish us luck!" Tidus bid him farewell and hung up the phone, and Leon did the same. This time, though, he switched the phone off and plopped it down on his bedside table. Then he rolled over, to Cloud, who immediately attached to him again with his arm slung lazily over Leon's side.

"How come you looked at me like that? What did he say?"

"Nothing important." Leon sighed. "They were telling me about the case against Ansem. It sounds like they're going to win."

"Really? Good. I hope that bastard drops the soap."

Leon smirked. _Really? That's what _I_ was thinking._

Cloud purred and nuzzled against Leon's neck, burying his face into the curve of it and nibbling the flesh. "So...now that the phone call's done..."

Leon sighed. "Alright, fine. You already got me interested, anyway..."

"Oh, don't be such a stickler. You know you like it." Cloud smiled and placed a careful open-mouthed kiss on Leon's neck, his tongue pressing against the skin before his lips closed and kissed it. "But I wanna try something different this time." He trailed his hand down Leon's front and squeezed the brunet's hardening shaft under the covers, making him groan.

"I wanna be top this time."

Leon blinked at him. And he said flatly, "Surely, you're_ joking._"

"No joke." Cloud turned him over, looking into Leon's eyes very seriously. "_You're_ gonna be _my_ bitch this time."

"Oh, _hell _no." Leon growled. "Roll over. I'm the fucker, and you're the fuckee, and there's no _way_ I'm going to be topped by you."

"Yeah? You wanna make a bet on that?" Cloud asked, grinning. "I dated a guy once in college who said the same thing, and do you know what happened? After some very well-planned coaxing and teasing, I had him _begging_ for it."

"Yes, well, it's not happening here." Leon growled, turning them over to pin Cloud to the bed. Cloud snickered and shoved him to the covers again, and Leon snarled.

"Cloud, I'm serious!"

"And so am I, so you'd better remember my name, because you'll be screaming it later."

Leon opened his mouth to say something, but the blond started to stroke him and practically _eating_ his neck (but doing a very good job of it, damn him), and instead of protesting, he just gave a weak groan. Cloud smirked.

"See?"

Leon sighed, but it was out of pleasure this time, and not argument. "You're not topping me," he muttered.

"You're gonna eat your words, Leon Striker." Cloud said with a wolfish grin. He squeezed Leon in his hand and gave a sharp jerk, making his partner hiss.

"_Damn_ it!"

"I learn fast." The blond murmured into his ear. "I already know a lot of what you like. So now it's just time to find out what you like on the receiving end..."

* * *

"Oh, so I glared at you like a _woman_, huh?" Tidus crossed his arms. "You're such a jerk sometimes, Riku."

"Heh, heh, heh. But it's true..." Riku squeezed his arm around Sora's waist. "Anyway, I'm gonna go freshen up. I'm still feeling shaky after that testimony. A little water might help." Riku glanced at Sora and ruffled his hair, smiling at him as he began to walk away.

"I'll be back before the half hour's up, okay?"

Sora blinked after him for a moment, thinking. Why had Riku smiled at him like that? He thought...and thought..._Ohhhhh_, he realized, it suddenly dawning on him.

Sora rocked back and forth on his toes with his hands in his pockets before he began to walk off in the same direction. "I gotta go, guys. I'll be back in a minute."

Tidus and Roxas stared at him. Roxas put his hands on his hips.

"Should we tell them how obvious it is...?"

"Leave them alone," Tidus sighed, smiling and shaking his head. "They just want some alone time. Can't really get that in this hallway, with all the people around."

* * *

It was pretty easy finding his way to the boy's bathroom, so when he got there, Sora strutted in and absently started playing with his tie. Riku was at one of the sinks, the cuffs of his suit undone to roll up the sleeves and splash his face with cold water. He turned off the faucet, sighing, and snatched a paper towel to dab his face dry. He glanced over when he was done.

"Oh, so you got my message," he murmured, smirking. "I was afraid you'd be too dense to get that one."

"Hey! Don't insult me!" Sora growled, pouting adorably as he often did. "I'm not _that_ innocent. I knew what you meant..."

"I'll bet you had to think about it, though."

Sora opened his mouth to argue, but closed it when he realized Riku was right. The boy smiled at him and ruffled his hair, kissing his forehead.

"Don't worry, Sora, it's not a bad thing. I think it's cute. That's why I love it."

The brunet huffed, crossing his arms. "I guess." He looked up at Riku. "But why did you want us to be in here, anyway?"

Riku paused for a while, and then he broke out into laughter behind his hand. "I was mistaken. Maybe you really _are _that innocent."

"Hey, what's _that_ supposed to mean!" Sora whined. "Man, Riku, cut it out! You're being vague! Like you _usually _do when you think something to yourself."

Riku laughed and waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine, it's fine, don't worry. I guess it's better to show than tell, so..." he hooked his fingers into the ring of the tie around Sora's neck, and began to draw him back into one of the bathroom stalls, "...follow me."

"Wha...?" Sora was leaning forward as he was pulled. "Riku...what are you doing?"

The silver-haired teen closed the door to the stall behind the both of them, and then locked it, and pushed down the toilet seat. "Sit down," he whispered, pushing Sora back.

"S-Si—wait a minute—!" As the wheels turned in the brunet's head, he finally began to catch up, and now his face was turning red. "_Here?_" He hissed quietly. "_Now?_"

"Yes, here, now." Riku forced Sora to sit and nuzzled his cheek against the other's. "I just wanna give you a little something..."

"G-Give _what,_ now?" Sora stuttered. Riku began to stroke him through his suit, making him blush even redder. "R-Riku, come on, please...it's a _public bathroom!_"

"So?"

"What if somebody comes in?"

Riku began to softly sink to his knees, and rubbed his nose and lips against Sora's groin. The brunet drew in a sharp gasp and gripped the sides of the cold porcelain he was sitting on. "Rikuuu...!"

"If someone walks in, you can just be quiet."

"E-Easy for _you_ to say!" Squeaked the teen. "W-What about the _mess?_"

Riku grinned. "Mess? There won't be a mess."

"But—aah..." Against his better judgement, Sora elicited a soft groan when Riku breathed hotly on his groin through the cloth, and undid the zipper with his teeth—his _teeth,_ dammit! _Curse the bastard for being so sexy,_ he grumbled mentally. His ears and neck joined his cheeks in the flush-red frenzy, and he chewed on his bottom lip.

"Riku..."

"Just trust me, Sora," Riku whispered, undoing the stubborn buttons of the brunet's dress pants by hand, and tugging down the front of his underwear to free his half-hard shaft. "You'll like this."

Sora groaned. "Oh, gawd." _How the hell do you get me to agree to everything you say?_

_

* * *

_

**Author's Notes: **The link to my LiveJournal, just take out the spaces and you should be fine: (http/ kujazlilmage. livejournal. com)Enjoy the smut!_  
_


	57. Ch 57: Profound Fitting to Prelude

**Author's Notes: **Okay, suuuuper-short chapter here. I, unfortunately, couldn't think of anything else to insert...because I wish for Ansem's humiliation to be a totally separate chapter. Which will be arriving next!

**Regarding the contest: Entries are now CLOSED. **The boat's sailed on, folks. If you send me anything after the time this updates, the entry will not be accepted. Sorry! Judgement has arrived.

But you can see all of the wonderful entries I received **here:** kujazlilmage. livejournal. com. Take out the spaces and it should work. Entries are behind an LJ Cut on the very top entry.

Finally, we are reaching a conclusion!

* * *

Chapter 57

_"Profound Fitting to Prelude"_

"...Now...what was that you said about never being topped?"

"Quiet..."

Cloud smirked. "Oh, admit it. You liked it. I _know _all that moaning wasn't in _pain._"

Leon blushed redder than he cared to admit and hugged his pillow tightly, lying on his stomach. When the blond didn't rouse a response out of him, he grinned and nuzzled against the brunet.

"Come on...don't be such a sourpuss. Can't I at least get a little feedback?"

Leon paused. "...My ass hurts."

Cloud growled and smacked the brunet's head with a pillow. "You _are _an ass, if you ask me! Fine, I guess it doesn't matter." He turned his nose up haughtily. "_Sooner_ or later, you're going to _like_ when I fuck you senseless, _and _you're going to admit it." He shook his finger at the brunet as he stood up, getting out of bed. "One day, Leon Striker, one day."

"Don't hold your breath!" Leon called after him as the blond strutted off into the bathroom. Leon sighed and rolled over in bed. _Is it just me, or is he twice the gay man he was after he's topped someone?_

"Really, Leon, I'm surprised. You didn't even last half as long as I'd thought you would." The sound of running water could be heard as Cloud spoke over it. Leon grumbled.

"That only took, what, three minutes? Man, I thought you would've been bitching for at least _ten_."

The brunet sighed heavily, and rubbed his forehead. _If he's going to rub it in like this every time, I may as well just shut him up and tell him he was good. _Not that Cloud _wasn't _good, of course, but Leon was still just coping with the shock of actually being on bottom.

"What are you trying to defend, anyway? You think you've got something to lose from being the receiver?"

"_Yes,_" Leon growled.

"You are not _that _manly, I hope you know," Cloud called from the bathroom. Leon sat up rigidly, glaring.

"I'm manly enough that it makes it count!"

"Not quite..."

Leon groaned. "Alright, fine. You're a really good fuck."

Cloud poked his head out the door. "I'm a what?"

Leon grit his teeth, hissing, "I mean, you're a really good fuck when you're _on top._"

The blond smiled satisfyingly and disappeared. "Thank you!"

"God, you're such a child." Leon sighed.

The shower started up. Cloud walked out and smiled, a towel folded in his arms. "Come on, I wasn't trying to piss you off, I was just teasing." He tilted his head towards the bathroom. "Wanna get washed off?"

The brunet gave him a point-blank stare. Cloud waved a hand at him as if to say, "Down, boy."

"I'm too tired to have sex again. It's not like I'm gonna jump you in the shower stall."

Leon shook his head, and with a heavy breath, got out of bed and followed Cloud into the bathroom. As Leon stepped into the shower with him (it was a little cramped with the both of them, but he didn't mind, surprisingly), Cloud got wet first, and moved over so Leon could soak his hair while he lathered up his own with shampoo.

"You know...about Riku..." Cloud frowned. "I really hope things turn out alright with him. He really does deserve a good life." Leon didn't answer to that. He grabbed the body wash and wet a washcloth, and started to lather it up.

"I wonder how all my kids are doing now."

"You're speaking out a lot today," Leon mentioned. "You weren't _nearly_ this talkative on any of our dates."

Cloud suppressed a blush. "I-I have a lot on my mind," he said quickly. "Besides, it just really bugs me that I can't take care of them anymore..."

"Why don't you start an orphanage?"

The blond blinked and looked up from the wet tile floor. "I beg your pardon?"

"I'm saying, why not start an orphanage?"

Cloud thought for a moment. The consideration struck a chord with him. But... "There are lots of orphanages already," he said.

"So?" Leon asked. "There's always room for more."

"I don't think I could start my own business..."

"Then why don't you get a job at one?"

Cloud creased his brow. "Do you think I could?"

Leon shrugged, running the washcloth over his arms and chest. "Whatever."

The blond paused as he rinsed out his hair. After about thirty seconds, he turned around and faced Leon. "How about I get a job at your fostering agency?"

Now it was Leon's turn to be surprised. "What?"

"Sure! It could happen, right? That way I can help all those kids, and I can work closely with you. And, if you don't mind..." Cloud smiled nervously, "Well, I could..."

"Come live with me?" Leon smirked. "Are you sure about that, though?" His expression turned serious. "We're moving things a little fast, don't you think?"

Cloud crossed his arms. "Are you saying you regret it?"

"No, but...shouldn't we slow down?"

The blond sighed, and stepped out of the shower. "I'll be getting dressed. Give it some thought, okay?" And on that note, Cloud left Leon to himself in the shower, drying off and going out to get dressed. Leon frowned more than he usually did, brow creasing in deep thought as he considered his options.

* * *

Everyone started to file into the court room. It was now exactly thirty minutes after the Recess had started.

"Looks like it's time for Ansem to present his case," Lulu said.

Sora grasped Riku's hand. "Don't worry, Riku. He doesn't stand a chance. You know that, right?"

Riku snorted. "You don't have to remind me."

"So," Tidus said flatly, "Why don't we go back in there and watch him get his own ass handed to him?"


	58. Ch 58: Prosecution

**Author's Notes:** Back, I am!

Okay. I'll admit, these next _two _chapters are really short. But, at least it's a double-update, right? And you get to find out what happens with Ansem.

Oh, also, I've got the prize pic finished for whoever gets it...but for the way I've staged it, I'm afraid you'll all have to wait a little longer until you've read the ending of this fic to see who won. Ahahaha! I know, I'm so terrible...

Gosh, there's not much to say...except...wow. It's been such a trip. I'm so happy that so many people enjoyed this fanfic. When I started writing it, I had no idea it was going to end up being so "revolutionary". lol. In fact, I can barely remember how I came up with it in the first place! (I have such a terrible memory.) But I do know that I enjoyed writing it, probably as much as you guys enjoyed reading it. And I know that when I go back and look at this, I'm going to smile and be really proud of myself, and be really happy for all the fans I've suddenly gotten.

All I have to say is...thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all of your support, and your wonderful reviews, and your encouragement to the end of this fic. Thank you, thank you.

Now...enjoy the last few chapters...because you know you want to!

* * *

Chapter 58

_"Prosecution"_

Once the court room was filled again, and everyone was settled down, it was announced that court had resumed its session. So Sora, Riku, Tidus, and the others were all eagerly (and, not so eagerly) awaiting the prosecution of Ansem.

Of course, the one who did _not _so eagerly await this was Ansem. He had a very flat, blank look on his face, but when one looked past it, they could see the look of hopeless fear in him. Likely, he knew that there was nothing he could do.

And, Lulu was so very _happily _awaiting her chance to grill him well-done. (In secrecy, of course.)

"I suppose it's time," Auron grunted, squinting and rubbing his bad eye before blinking, clearing his throat. "Will the Defendant please come to the witness stand to testify?"

Ansem rose slowly—ever so slowly—and approached the dreaded little box where he was to sit. Once he had taken his seat and sworn in an oath, Luxord walked up to him, and they stared each other down for a brief moment. Even Luxord knew that this wasn't going to end well.

"Ansem...when did you adopt Riku?"

"...Early two-thousand five." Ansem replied.

"And, in those four years he was in your custody, did you ever neglect, rape, or otherwise harm him?"

"No."

Luxord began to pace back and forth. "Would you say that Riku was a troublesome child?"

"Extremely." Ansem said, clenching his fists. "He hardly ever listened to a word I said. He was difficult to manage."

"Can you say there were any times when he lashed out against you, or acted especially difficult?"

Ansem quite literally gulped. "I tried to get him to dress for school one morning, and he refused. For the next two weeks, he was grounded...but later, I saw that was far too small a punishment for someone as difficult as him."

Luxord swiveled and faced Ansem. "Did you have sexual relations with your adopted son?"

Ansem froze. "...No, never." He lied right through his teeth.

"Then could you please explain to the court, the state of your basement's appearance?"

"...Everyone has their own private fantasies. I don't see how I can't have mine."

Luxord turned calmly and sat down, murmuring, "I have no further questions."

Lulu was the one who got up sharply from her seat this time, wearing Luxord's prior vigor when the man had run Riku into the ground.

"Mister Atercor," she said, firmly, "Do you say that you _deny _ever having forced sexual relations upon your adopted son?"

"Yes, because it isn't true," Ansem growled, pursing his lips tight.

"Then what about the blood that was found all over your basement walls?" Lulu asked. "It was reportedly all over the walls, on the whips, the knives...so if it wasn't Riku's blood, then whose was it?"

Ansem sighed. "_Sometimes_ I would bring home a close friend of mine who was a willing participant in those activities. It could be _his_. Sado-masochism is all about experiencing pain through pleasure, so it's not to say it will go without even a little bit of blood."

Riku grit his teeth in the place where he sat. _Yeah, you brought your damn friend over, but that just meant I had to work _twice _as hard!_

"So _none _of it was Riku's?"

"None."

Lulu glared sharply at him. "Then please _explain_ to the court why invesigation teams _identified__Riku's DNA_ in the blood that was found on the walls!"

"Objection, Your Honor, leading the witness!"

"Overruled. Miss Sykes, please rephrase your question."

Lulu sighed, mentally. Riku's overwhelming evidence over Ansem's head was giving her more straining points. So, it seems she couldn't snap him to place as she'd wanted to do. But that didn't mean she could sit down again without some response in her favor.

"...Mister Atercor, would you say that you find Riku to be physically attractive?"

Ansem blinked. "...Yes, of course...I imagine anyone would."

_Bingo. _"And would you also say that it was because of that _same_ physically attractive quality, that you adopted Riku four years ago?"

"Yes, I would."

Lulu stared him down after his answer. She saw that slack-jawed look he gave her...but not with his face. It was with his eyes.

_Oh, yes, that's right. You slipped up. It shouldn't count towards me, but Juries are made up of human beings, after all._ Lulu turned around. "No further questions."

There was something Lulu had learned in all her years at law school. Justice wasn't always served fairly. This wasn't a fair world. But whether or not justice was fairly distributed, on either hand, it wasn't just a series of rules and occurences—it didn't just mean asking questions and finding the answer. It also meant _influence_ and mental _stability_ over the court. Even the slightest off-sounding answers from the accused could be blown out of the water, if the Jury so chose to take it that way. Lulu had seen it being done hundreds of times, even in her short career as a starting attorney, but Lulu learned fast and she kept it in the back of her head.

Shortly after, the two lawyers were asked to give their concluding statements. So, they preached their cases directly to the Jury that was present. By the time Lulu was finished giving hers, she could see in the faces of the people in that Jury that there was no question as to what they were going to choose. This was going to be a fast verdict. A short Recess was called to give the Jury time to decide their vote.

"He's so dead," Tidus said as they went outside again.

Sora and Lulu nodded. "Yes, Ansem doesn't have a whole lot going for him," said the attorney woman. "Likely that the Jury will be asking to call us back inside before Recess is even over, if that's even possible."

Sora looked at Riku. "What do you think? Hmm?" He tilted his head. "Riku, what's up? You look nervous."

"I am."

"Well, stop it!" Roxas growled. "Come on, isn't it obvious who's going to win this? Lighten up! You've got nothing to worry about."

"I hope so." Riku murmured.

Sora sighed. "Guys, I don't think he's going to be okay with it until he finds out what the verdict is." He hugged Riku's arm. "Come on, please, Riku? One little smile?" He grinned. "Do it for me!"

Riku sighed, staring at him with a blank face. He turned away, and then, when he was looking at Sora again, he was smiling. Cheesily, but smiling.

"...Good enough!" Sora laughed, clinging to him. "I'll bet it'll be more genuine once we find out what happens to Ansem."


	59. Ch 59: Verdict

**Author's Notes: **Just so everyone knows, this ISN'T the last chapter. Still one more!

And I don't know why I ended it the way I did. It just seemed sort of appropriate. Makes me feel like I'm writing a noir film or something, I guess. ...Do I even know the style of noir films? Not really.

* * *

Chapter 59

_"Verdict"_

Lulu had been right about the Jury deciding so quickly. That Recess hadn't lasted as long as expected. There was only one difference, however, when they entered the court room this time, and that was that everyone was asked to remain standing. As the Jury filed back into the room, Auron squinted and cleared his throat.

"Has the Jury reached a verdict?"

Misato, a young woman with long black hair and dark eyes, said, "We have, Your Honor."

"Does the Jury understand the implications of their verdict, and the laws bound to them by the United Terran Continent as they have reached this verdict?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

Auron looked at his paper. "Then, on the charges against the Defendant of sexual abuse, rape, and negligence," he turned to Misato, "How do you find?"

Misato unfolded a small piece of paper in her hand. "We find the Defendant, Ansem Atercor..."

Riku clenched his teeth. He looked almost like he was pleading for something, and Sora was wringing his hands in front of him. The tension spiked incredibly high in that one moment; everyone could feel each other's anticipation.

"...Guilty as charged."

Riku's face suddenly swapped from fearful to joyous. He breathed out heavily in relief, hands flying to his mouth, which hid the extremely large grin on his face. While everyone on his side began to rejoice, Ansem was hanging his head and looking miserable. Lulu smirked at that, but said nothing.

"Then in accordance with Terran law, I hereby sentence the Defendant to a life sentence of twenty years in prison." Auron raised his gavel. "This court is dismissed."

As soon as that little hammer echoed through the court room, Sora and Riku were both jumping and hugging each other tightly, with Riku laughing into the brunet's shoulder, rocking them back and forth. Tidus and Roxas jumped them in a group hug, and Lulu patted Riku's shoulder.

Riku turned around. "Thank you, Miss Sykes," he said.

"Please." Lulu shook her head. "Don't thank me. I don't need it."

The teen was still smiling as Ansem was taken away in handcuffs, and Lulu exited the courthouse. Finally getting some fresh air, she sighed, and pulled out a packet of cigarettes from her purse. She knew they were bad for her, but she had to admit it: it was a habit. She lit one up, and pressed it between her lips, breathing in the fumes and then blowing them out again in a puff of thick, gray smoke. Instantly, her nerves began to calm.

She leaned against one of the pillars out front and rest her head against it, enjoying her cigarette. Brushing her black hair out of her face, Lulu smiled, feeling some satisfaction in winning that case.

"You did a fine job in there," said a smooth, slightly accented voice. Lulu peeked to her side, and saw Luxord Kramer with an unlit cigarette in his mouth. Lulu sighed, blowing out another thick cloud of smoke.

"I suppose."

"Don't belittle yourself," Luxord scolded, lighting up his own stick and sucking in the fumes. The toxic wisps of gray spilled over his lips as he spoke. "You have a talent. I was rather impressed." He blew out the rest of the smoke. "Perhaps some work is needed, but it was done quite well."

Lulu blinked her eyes, which were less heavily shadowed than she normally had them. Admittedly, even in her late twenties, she was still somewhat of a Goth. "So, what, you came out here just to admit that you lost that case?"

Luxord scoffed. "Can't we just call it a friendly little chat between two lawyers, who just completed a clearly simple case?"

Lulu smiled, and drew in another drag of her cigarette. "I never dreamed I'd be talking to _you_," she said, glancing at him. "You have a very prestigious reputation about you."

"And _you_ have a very prestigious reputation _ahead_ of you," Luxord replied. He sighed, puffing out a heavy cloud of smoke and flicking his ashes.

"You know, you didn't make that case easy for me," Lulu complained. "You weren't very nice to my client, either."

"Indeed, I wasn't." Luxord sighed again. "But, what? You expected the best lawyer in Alexandria to just..." he twirled his finger, "..._roll over_ for you?"

Lulu chuckled. "No, I suppose not. But you gave poor Riku a scare. Didn't you see the look in his eyes?"

"I did." Luxord nodded, and shook his head. "And I don't think I plan on ever defending someone like that again." He flicked his cigarette ashes again, as Lulu hummed, somehow agreeing with him.

"The man who got me to defend Ansem only told me that his friend was being accused of rape, and that he needed a good lawyer. I was hoping the man would be innocent."

"But that wasn't the case," Lulu pointed out.

"Nope." Luxord said instantly. "Guilty as sin. Personally, I'm rather glad the poor bastard's going to be behind bars."

Lulu turned her eyes to the blond, tall man. "I just have one question. You sound like you didn't enjoy defending his case. If so, why didn't you turn it down in the first place? Or stated a Motion to Withdrawal?"

Luxord gazed into Lulu Sykes' eyes. "My dear, aspiring young woman," he said, in a grand tone of voice, "A _good_ lawyer does _not_ turn down a case."

"Ohh, so it was your _popularity_ that was riding on it, then."

"I said nothing of the sort," snorted Luxord, filling the air with more smoke. "I said that a good lawyer does not turn down a case—and, if I may say, I am an _excellent_ lawyer."

"Humph!" Lulu scoffed. "No trace of your ego in _there._"

Chuckling, Luxord dragged deeply on his smoke, and exhaled almost in the manner of another sigh. He leaned against the same column as Lulu, standing soundly to her right. A silence passed between them, and Lulu flicked the ashes off her cigarette.

"...I have a lovely wife and two young boys, myself." Luxord mentioned. "One of them is about Riku's age."

Lulu switched her eyes to him curiously, but didn't interrupt.

"He just turned sixteen last month. He's a quiet boy, quite intelligent. Doesn't go outdoors much, but he's precious to me. He's my son." Luxord shook his head. "I can't imagine...I simply can't imagine harming my _own_ children that way. And I understand the situation was slightly different with Riku, but, still. It disgusts me when I am reminded that such dreadful people live in this world."

Silent, Lulu exhaled the last of her cigarette fumes that she cared to inhale, and dropped the toxic thing to the ground, crushing it under the toe end of her high-heeled shoe. "The world is often lost in darkness, slowly but assuredly drowning in its own sorrow and hate."

Luxord blinked, and looked at her. "You just now sounded like a poet." He frowned, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Now that I think of it, have I seen you somewhere before, Miss Sykes?"

"I'd imagine not." Lulu replied, fixing her hair and shifting her purse to her other shoulder. "Not unless you enjoy hanging out at dark poetry clubs."

The blond man chuckled. "Can't say that I do. But I've been to several bars."

"I sometimes go out for drinks." Lulu scratched away an eyelash from her eye gently. "But I can get those at the poetry clubs."

Luxord smiled. "Well, you were very impressive, Miss Sykes."

Lulu smiled also, facing him. "I do look up to the best," she replied, holding out her hand. Luxord glanced at it, and shook it firmly.

"Say," he mentioned, "If you ever stop by for a drink somewhere, why don't you give me a call?" He held out one of his business cards. "I believe we may be able to have ourselves a nice, _friendly_ conversation."


	60. Ch 60: We'll Go Together

**Author's Notes:** Okay, I lied - there's this chapter and then there's the epilogue.

AND THEN, THERE'S THE LEMON!

That's right! A final finishing lemon for all of you! And, the results of the contest are there, too, along with a prize picture that goes to the winner! So gather up your things, and enjoy the big finale!

It's been such a wonderful trip to write this fanfic. I hope everyone's loved it as much as I have and that they look forward to any of my upcoming projects that they may be interested in. You can check to see what I'm working on at my profile.

Thank you, _so much,_ and ta-ta for now!

* * *

Chapter 60

_"We'll Go Together."_

After that day, Tifa and Sora's mother helped to plan a big party to celebrate. It wasn't just to celebrate Ansem's jailing, but also Riku's freedom—the overall center of it. And it was to give all sorts of congratulations, to Tifa and to Sora and to Riku—Tifa for finding her son again, and Sora for finding love in him. The celebration was at Sora's house, and everyone who knew them was invited. It ended up just being Sora's family, Tidus and Roxas' families, Riku and his mother, and a few close friends. Selphie was entertaining herself with her little posse, whilst Riku and Sora socialized with Wakka and the other boys on the Besaid Raiders.

Tidus and Roxas were there, too. They were the ones spraying bottles of cold apple cider everywhere. Sora was practically screaming, and Riku chased after both blonds, shouting at them for getting him and Sora so wet.

"I'm soaked!" The brunet whined, holding up his arms. "And now I smell like cider!"

"Maybe Riku will lick it off!" Wakka laughed, obviously getting a kick out of the whole antic. "Then you'll be _squeaky _clean, ya?"

"Oh, can it!" Riku growled. He sighed. "Come on, Sora, we'll get you some dry clothes."

"O-Okay." Sora turned around as Riku pushed him towards the stairs, and waved at their crowd of guests, warning, "You'd better not mess anything up down here!"

"We won't!" Chorused the boys. Riku continued to push Sora up the stairs, and into his room, where he shut the door behind them.

"_Damn_ those two! I'm going to _kill_ them."

"Hey, calm down," laughed Sora, "It's not that bad. They just surprised me, that's all."

"Yeah, but now you're all wet..."

Sora laughed harder. "It's _okay,_ Riku! Really..." he lifted his arms up as Riku pulled his soaking-wet shirt off of him, "...you need to _relax_..."

Riku sighed. "I'm sorry, it's just...I'm feeling a little antsy, that's all." He tossed Sora's wet shirt over his hamper for dirty clothes, and started to reach for the brunet's jeans, which were thoroughly soaked also. "Mom's looking for a therapist for me, and she says she's gonna make me visit her doctor in another week or two. It feels like I have a lot to eat on my plate lately."

Sora smiled at him as he slid out of his jeans, and tugged Riku's shirt off him. "Again, you shouldn't worry so much." He said, "Didn't we tell you that at the courthouse?"

"Ah, don't feed me that bull." Growled the teen. "I'm schizophrenic and I'm stressed. _Not _a good combination."

Sora paused, eyes flitting left and right, before he tugged at his boxers. "Oh, _shoot,_" he said in an overacted voice, "That darn cider soaked _right _through my jeans. Now my _boxers_ are wet, too." He started to slide them down his hips. "I guess I'll just have to _take them off..._"

Riku threw a clean pair at his face. "You're such a smartass!" He laughed.

Sora snickered, and shed the pair he was wearing, slipping into the dry ones easily. "But it made you feel better, didn't it?"

"Now, that's not fair, taking advantage of my libido like that." Riku smirked as he got out of his jeans, and wound an arm around Sora's waist, stroking his cheek. "Because now, do you know what you have to do? You have to follow up with it."

The brunet got an adorable, cheeky flush on his face. "H-How about we put a rain check on that?" He asked nervously. "There's too many parents downstairs...someone's bound to put the pieces together..."

"Hmmmmm?" Riku purred, nudging Sora to the bed. "That sooo? So, you're saying you'll let me suck you in a courthouse, but you won't let me fuck you in your bed...?" He made a mocking sort of pout, brushing his lips to Sora's. "Oh, Sora, that's so double-standard of you..."

"R-Riku...!" Sora squeaked, the other's hands running up and down his sides, making him gasp.

"So very, very double-standard..."

"Ooo-KAY!" He cried, snatching Riku's wrists and raising them up high in the air. Riku grunted shortly in protest, and then sighed, getting a half-lidded look on his face. "I think," Sora said, "that I'm gonna have to say 'no' this time."

Riku huffed, and dropped his hands, shrugging. "Alrighty, then, have it your way. But I'm holding you to that rain check, understand?"

There was a moment's pause, before Sora whined and squirmed where he stood. "Damn it, Rikuuuu! Why do you have to be so sexyyyy!"

Riku laughed, "Because I _am_ sexy, that's why."

"I _know!_ Stop _flaunting_ it!" Growled the brunet boy. "It's making it _very _hard for me to act normal around other people—including myself, apparently!"

The silver-haired teen chuckled, and gave Sora a pair of jeans and a shirt to change into. "You know, your stuff isn't going to fit me...what am I gonna wear in the meantime?"

"Oh! Um..." Sora smiled nervously. "Well, I have some oversized nightshirts you can wear, but that's about it."

"Pajama wear, huh?"

"Should be in the bottom drawer," Sora told him, pulling his dry shirt on over his head. Riku opened up the drawer he was told about and pulled out a long dark-blue nightshirt. It was more of a night_gown_, really.

"...You're such a girl, Sora."

"Hey, shut up! My mom bought me that one. That's not my fault."

Riku snickered. "Mommy still gets her widdle man his cwothes?" He cooed.

Sora roared and picked up a hefty school binder nearby. "_You are SUCH and ASSHOLE!_" He shrieked, throwing the thing at Riku's face.

"Whoa!" He dodged the barreling object, and it smacked into Sora's dresser drawers with a loud _THUMP._ He blinked. "Geez, maybe I have to protect myself from _you,_ too!"

"Yeah, only when you say something like _that _to me!" Sora snapped, pointing an accusing finger. Riku laughed, changing into the nightshirt, and managing to just barely fit into a pair of Sora's underwear to borrow.

"Sora, you're so cute when you're mad."

"Don't start that sugar-coating crap with me!" Grumbled the younger boy. "You're not gonna put it behind us that easily!"

"Oh, I'm not?" Riku smirked, walking up to Sora haughtily and crossing his arms. "Then tell me how I _can _make it up to you."

Sora stood up on his toes and pulled Riku down to his level. "You can shut up and be a boyfriend," he growled, and he kissed Riku firmly on the lips. After Sora was satisfied that they had gotten in a nice, hot little session of tongue play, Riku pulled back for breath and placed a gentle kiss on Sora's lips.

"I think I should bribe you more when you're angry," he chuckled.

Sora sighed. "That's not funny," he said flatly, his rage having now subsided.

"Oh, you know I'm teasing you."

Sora pouted, and pulled Riku into a hug. Riku returned it, and they stood there like that for a while, just embracing each other, and listening to the laughter downstairs. Sora turned his head against Riku's chest, listening to the other's heartbeat, feeling the satisfying warmth that came from holding him so close. He closed his eyes and let out a slow sigh, imagining the world melting around them, until it was just the two of them standing there. Riku stroked his fingers through Sora's hair, and kissed the top of his head.

"I love you, Sora," he whispered against his hair. "I'll always love you."

The brunet smiled warmly, and squeezed Riku around his middle a little tighter.

"I'll always love you, too, Riku."

That made the older teen smile again, and they held each other for a few moments longer. Sora creased his brow, then, and frowned.

"Hey, I'm wondering..."

"Hmm?"

"...I'm wondering how everyone else is doing."

"Everyone else from where?"

Sora looked up. "You know...Mr. Cloud and all the others."

Riku paused, then smirked. "I'm sure they're doing fine." He snickered, "They're gonna be doing better than Ansem, I can tell you that."

* * *

_Brrriinnnng, brrriinnnng, brrriinnnng._

"Mmmm, Yazoo, can you get that?" Kadaj murmured, rubbing his brother's slim stomach.

"I'm tired, brother," Yazoo grumbled. "You get it."

"Well _I'm _not getting it," growled Kadaj, "And Sephy's probably out drinking somewhere..."

Yazoo sighed. "He's going to come home wasted, isn't he?"

"Yes, but look on the bright side," Kadaj snickered, "At least we won't have to do chores tomorrow..."

_Brrriinnnng, brrriinnnng, brrriinnnng._

"I'm still not getting it."

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Hissed Kadaj, getting out of bed. "Fine, I'll answer it. You're such a pain in the ass."

Yazoo sat up as Kadaj left, shouting after him, "I know, _that's why you like it!_"

Muttering curses under his breath, Kadaj walked naked to the phone and snatched it up. "Yes, what do you want?" He asked tersely.

"...Kadaj? For God's sake, why can't Sephiroth answer his own damn phone!"

Kadaj paused. "...Who the hell is this?"

"This is Ansem! Get Sephiroth on the phone! Please!"

Kadaj sighed, putting a hand on his hip. "Listen, you pedophilic _loser,_ my big brother isn't _home_ right now, but I'd be happy to take a _message_."

Ansem's voice was strained. "Kadaj, I'm in JAIL."

There was a very long...long..._long_...awkward...silence.

And then Kadaj laughed.

"Don't drop the soap!"

"KADAJ, YOU INCESTUOUS SON OF A—" _Click._

_

* * *

_

Cloud stood with his hands at his sides, stuffed into his pockets, staring at Leon expectantly. "So? Do you think it'll be good enough?"

Leon looked over the edge of Cloud's resumé papers. "Well, I don't know, that's all up to Zack."

"Then I'll take that as a yes."

Leon sighed, and handed Cloud his papers. "So you're sure you want to do this?"

"Of course I am." Cloud replied, glancing sideways at him. "Are you?"

Leon paused, looking out the window for a moment, and then back to Cloud. "As sure as I can be. I'm not precognetic or anything."

Cloud purred and wound his arms around Leon's waist, pressing against him. "I'm glad you're letting me move in with you," he murmured. "Thank you very much."

"Did you call your friends to let them know?"

"Yes, and Reno even said he would help me to get my things in with us." He replied. "Reno's kind of energetic. If he goofs off, try not to let him get to you."

Leon groaned. "I don't know, if he's anything like Yuffie from college, I might be snapping a few fingers."

"You don't mean that," scoffed Cloud, smacking Leon's chest playfully as he walked back. "And anyway, you'll like him. Rufus might drop by, too, and I _know_ you and Rufus will get along." He grinned, adding, "Rufus is kind of like you sometimes."

Leon paused for a moment. "...And you say I'll get along with him?"

Cloud laughed. "Poor Leon, he can't even stand himself!"

"That's not funny," growled the foster agent, crossing his arms.

"It is too, and you know it." Cloud rebutted. "Now let's get something to eat. I'm starving."

* * *

"Pizza's here!" Tifa called, bringing in the three or four boxes of pizza that had just been delivered.

"Alright!" Cried the boys. "Food!"

"I get dibs on the one with the sausage bits!" Sora declared.

"As long as you share that sausage with me!" Riku teased.

"Ewww, come on, guys, not in front of_ us!_"

"Yeah, why not?" Riku teased, ruffling Tidus' hair. "You don't wanna see the incredible talents of the ever-sexy Riku Lockheart?"

Tidus slapped his hand away. "Just shut up and grab your damn pizza, you sexed-up teenage time bomb!"

"I think I will," declared Riku, taking two pieces of pizza that had sausage, double-cheese, mushrooms and pepperoni.

"So, Riku," Wakka wondered, "What's the first thing you're gonna do with your new freedom, ya?"

Sora began to chomp into his slice of pizza as the others did, while they sat down and waited for an answer. Riku frowned, looking up at the ceiling and contemplating as the adults went for their share—before it all disappeared.

"The first thing I'll do...?" He hummed, biting into his slice and swallowing, then smirking blithely. "I think the _first_ thing that I'm gonna do is bang Sora until he gets amnesia."

Sora blushed beet-red, and everybody groaned.

"Riku, don't talk like that!" Tifa scolded. "You've got _parents_ in the room!" Sora's parents, actually, were the ones Tifa was worried about and referring to. The rest just shook their heads and sighed, but Lisa and John were hiding their faces, and probably murmuring numerous prayers.

"I was joking!" Riku insisted.

"Yeah, I'll _bet_ you were," Roxas snorted. "_Not._"

The only reason Sora didn't say anything was because he knew he could be just as happy stuffing his big mouth with his pizza, to avoid making the situation any more awkward. But as the conversation flared up again, he couldn't resist adding himself into it.

"Mr. Slyver's boyfriend is supposed to be setting up a concert pretty soon," Tidus mentioned.

"You mean he _has _a relationship?"

"He has a _boy_friend?"

"MAN you guys are dense!" Roxas groaned. "_Nobody's_ seen Demyx?"

"Is this that blond guy with the mohawk that looks like a punk-rocker?"

"_Glad_ you asked!" Roxas cried, raising his hand. "Because Demyx's band _is _a punk-rock band!"

"What are they called again?" Sora asked.

"_Nobody's Order,_" Roxas articulated. "I think Mr. Slyver said they'd be handing out tickets."

"Maybe we should all go," Tidus suggested. "It'd be a good date for you and Sora, too, Riku."

"Naaah," Riku sighed, leaning back and wrapping an arm around Sora's shoulders. "I think for now, I'm happy just bein' with 'im. Besides, I've got a lot to chew on. I'm going to be dragged off to a doctor and some crack therapist later."

Tifa sighed and shook her head in the kitchen, but said nothing to argue, just smiling and eating her pizza.

"Maybe after Riku's doing better," Sora said, "we'll go and see Demyx in concert." He smiled, and hugged Riku's arm. "Right, Riku? We'll go together."

Riku sighed, swallowing another bite of pizza. But he did give Sora a slight grin. "It's a date," he replied.


	61. Epilogue: The Color Of Your Lips

Epilogue

_"The Color Of Your Lips"_

"_Sora!_ Are you done preening yet, or are you going to spend all day in the bathroom?"

"Shut up! Stop whining, I'm almost done."

"These concert tickets aren't gonna flash themselves, you know—I don't care _what_ kind of connections you got to the band!"

Sora sighed, applying eyeliner in the bathroom mirror. Yes, eyeliner. He was going to wear eyeliner, and it was all because Riku had gotten him started with the habit. Admittedly, he was pretty happy with the results most of the time, but this was his first time doing it by himself, and he couldn't get it to look right.

"What are you _doing? _Come on, man, we're five minutes late already. You're such a girl."

"Shut up!" Whined the brunet, huffing. "I can't get my eyeliner right!"

"...Are you _serious?_"

Riku opened up the bathroom door and thrust his head in. He looked relatively normal today, save that he was looking just a tad bit Goth, leering at Sora in disbelief with blackened eyelashes and perfectly-applied eyeliner, along with just a touch of dark-purple eyeshadow. His skin was a little less pale, but he was still rather ghostly compared to Sora, who had a nice golden glow to his skin. Riku had his hair pulled up in a high ponytail with black hair streaks in it, thanks to the hairtie.

Sora turned around and looked at him with a growl. The eyeliner was all wrong. Riku sighed.

"Oh, Sora, you're hopeless." He grumbled, walking in. "What did I tell you? Your eye shape isn't right for full coverage. Just touch up the corners. Half-lines, I said, half-lines."

"It's not my fault!" Whined the brunet, as Riku rubbed his eyes until they were eyeliner-less (as well as mascara-less; like Riku didn't notice his eyelashes were two times longer than they already were). "The stupid stick won't work with me!"

"No, you're just not working with the stupid stick." Riku sighed, holding up the eyeliner pencil. "Now, hold...still..." the tip of Riku's tongue touched his top lip as he concentrated, touching his thumb to the corner of one eye as he applied the black pencil to his darling Sora's eyelid. In a matter of some minutes, Sora's eyes were perfectly lined and mascara-d. He had a black hoodie on as well as blue pants, but he still looked stylish. The hoodie brandished a Heartless band logo on the front, and a larger version of it on the back. In comparison, Riku was wearing a tight black shirt that showed off his stomach, zipped up in the front, except for the collar and the bottom part by a few inches, and was wearing very baggy low-rise jeans. There was a white sleeveless jacket to go with it, but Riku decided to go without. Partially because his arms were now close to fully healed from the scars they held.

"There. _Now_ can we go?"

"Yep!" Sora giggled, kissing Riku's cheek, leaving a lip-glossy smooch mark on his skin. "Thanks, baby!"

Riku sighed. "Come on, into the moving planet with you."

A Saturn—Riku now drove a silver Saturn. He was nineteen years old, and his appearance had hardly changed from two years ago, save slightly longer hair and sharper caribbean eyes that made all the girls (_and_ guys) go gaga for him at the Senior Prom. To many a dismay, he was already taken by Sora, who was even so bold as to dance with him at said Prom. They even had a photo of them together, and Riku had joked at the time, "The only thing missing is a prom dress."

Later that night, Riku took Sora home and treated him to a hell of a show, dressed up in a black spaghetti-strap prom dress with an embroidery of red roses spiraling down from the hips, trailing the collar. Sora was disturbed, at first, but more than thrilled at the sight, and hot sex followed after. Tifa had yelled at them in the morning for leaving the house a wreck.

Riku made Sora feel special. They fit each other like gloves; everyone thought so, besides the two of them. When Sora had racked up the courage to tell Kairi the truth about why he'd broken up with her, at first she'd been mad—but only because Sora had deceived her, and he admitted shyly that he knew it had been wrong. After a few days, though, she cleared up, and was giving the two of them a big thumbs-up the whole way. She was happy that they were happy, and that made Sora feel better.

There were a lot of things that Riku would do for Sora, and only for Sora—like crossdressing. It happened on only the rarest of occasions, but when Riku was in the mood for it like he had been at Senior Prom...boy, did Sora really enjoy himself. It was a treat to catch Riku in such an especially bottom sort of mood, so whenever it happened, the brunet soaked it up and ravished the other while he could, before morning broke and the mood was gone.

Tonight was a treat that wasn't for just one of them, but both of them. Axel had given them a call (Sora had liked the teacher so much that he became more of a friend than anything else), and given them free tickets to come and see Demyx live with his brand-new localized band, "Nobody's Order." While the free-thinking blond hadn't hit big water yet, he was very popular in the local towns, and had managed to set up a couple of small concerts for his fans. This was one of them, and was set to take place downtown in Sunset Park. Driving on the way there, Sora was wriggling in his seat.

"I can't wait to check this out. Axel was so nice to give us these tickets!"

"If there's booze, I'll be set." Riku replied.

"Okay, yeah, _no _getting drunk, okay?"

"Why?" Riku grinned. "Drunk sex is fun sex!"

"I don't wanna fuck you when you're _drunk!_" Sora groaned, smacking Riku's arm playfully. "Be serious. Come on, Demyx is great; you'll love it! I've heard him playing at Axel's house before. He's super-good with the guitar."

"We'll see," said the other passively. Sora sighed, smiling still.

"You _will _love it, or else I will be mad at you for the rest of eternity."

Riku laughed. "That wouldn't be very long," he said, kissing Sora's cheek at a stop light. "You're very poor at holding grudges with people."

Sora just grinned. He knew that was true, but he still liked to tease Riku, and sometimes fake it, just to keep him on his toes.

It wasn't a very long drive there from Riku's house, and even being a few minutes late didn't hurt getting their seats close to the stage. Sora knew his ears would be ringing afterwards. Demyx's band was in a very punk-rock type of style, and he tended to be very _loud._ When they had settled down on their picnic blanket, food and all, Axel was nearby in casual dress as the band set up the stage. Nobody's Order consisted of Demyx on lead vocals and electric guitar, a guy named Even on the bass guitar, his friend Barig on the drum set, and Larxene on extras like flutes and violins. That blonde bombshell of a woman was Even's sweetheart, and Sora caught her giving Even a kiss before the concert started.

"Riku! Sora! Glad you could make it!"

"Hey, Axel!" Sora called, waving as the redhead strutted over with a smile.

"It looks great, doesn't it?"

"Fantastic!" Said the brunet.

"Can't wait to hear the noise." Riku added. Axel grinned.

"Demyx worked hard on this. You'll like it. He said he had a surprise waiting."

"Oooh," Sora awed. "I wonder what it is."

Just then, Demyx stepped up to the mic and strummed out the beginning notes to his opening song, and was soon shouting out the lyrics.

Riku had to admit, he was very impressed. It was pretty clear how much influence they got from The Heartless, the very band of which Sora was wearing the logo for on his hoodie. Demyx pointed this out at one point between songs, making the brunet blush and hide himself behind Riku with a few embarrassed mumblings. There was a big crowd; Demyx had a lot of fans, it seemed. About as they were nearing the last four or five songs, Demyx stopped and pulled out his acoustic guitar as he talked.

"About six or seven years ago, I met someone who opened me up to a lot of inspiration, and showed me just how much it _didn't _matter that I was a guy. I'm pretty sure a lot of my fans already know that I'm gay..."

Lots of whistles and cheers. Demyx was grinning.

"So I'm sure they won't mind if I send out a little thank-you?"

Even louder cheers, and Axel started gaping. Riku slapped his knee and laughed. "Oh shit, man," he snickered, "Here it comes."

Demyx smiled wolfishly and tested his acoustic. "Surprise, baby," he said into the mic, looking directly at Axel as he started to sing. It was a sweet tribute, with heartfelt lyrics and smooth-working arrangements. Of course, about halfway through it, Axel decided he would respond comically and grappled at his chest, kicking around on Riku and Sora's picnic blanket and hiding his face, which made the blond laugh in the middle of the song. ("Smile!" Riku exclaimed, snapping a photo of the silly moment on his cell phone.) Afterwards, though, the crowd was pleasantly surprised by an on-stage kiss. Axel jumped up the stairs and flung his arms around Demyx, and pressed his lips fully against the other's.

"Aww, they're so cute." Sora cooed, a happy grin on his face. Riku smiled and wound an arm around his waist.

"Yes, and so are you."

"Hm?" Sora turned his head to face Riku, and the teen ended up tilting his chin up and giving him a kiss shortly after Axel kissed Demyx. Sora blushed, wanting to protest, but finding it against his general will and ended up returning the kiss in earnest. He purred and slid his tongue into Riku's mouth, and for once, Riku allowed him the dominant side of the duel. Sora's ego got a big kick out of that.

But then it was knocked down the same level of pegs or more when Demyx laughed, and pointed them out, teasing them.

Sora squealed and hid his face against Riku's chest.

"Keep it PG-13, or I'll fail both of you!" Axel laughed.

"Shut up, you will not!" Riku replied.

"Oh, you're so sure of yourself!"

"Damn right I am!"

Sora was pouting for the next song or two, until the contest was over. It was true that Riku had gained a lot of self-confidence. Even in just two years, he'd improved a lot. Shortly after Ansem was sentenced to a life in jail, Tifa got Riku to start seeing a regular counselor—her name was Miss Kikyo, a very kind and gentle young woman whom Riku often described as having a calming voice. And with the help of Kikyo and Doctor Hughes, Tifa's own doctor, he was now taking prescription medicine to help with his schizophrenia. Dr. Hughes had mentioned how lucky Riku was that he only heard one voice in his head, and not many. Since, he said, most reported cases of schizophrenia heard _multiple_ voices, and even hallucinated on occasion. So, compared to that, he'd explained, Riku's case was fairly mild.

And, Sora could now proudly call Riku his boyfriend.

Life was finally getting better for the silver-haired teen, and even more so for Sora. The brunet had never been happier.

Their styles often clashed, but they fit each other like a pair of gloves. Riku had gotten a little wild in the past year, in particular, now having to care for five piercings in each ear, and a silver stud in his tongue. Which Sora didn't mind at all, really...except that it meant Riku couldn't give him any oral for a while. (This was especially disappointing, since he'd only gotten a handful of actual blowjobs from the other before he'd off and pierced his tongue.)

When the concert was over, and they'd said their goodbyes, Sora got back into Riku's car with him and sighed, slipping down into his seat. "So where are we going to go now?" He asked, smiling. "My house or yours?"

Riku smirked mirthfully as he fished around in the glovebox for something. "I was thinking we could go to my place. My Mom's working late...your sister's at a sleepover...your parents couldn't care less what you do with me..." he looked at Sora, "...and I think I'm feeling a little frisky."

Sora giggled and leaned over towards Riku's seat. "Yeah? What kinda frisky?" He purred.

Riku chuckled softly, and pulled out a tube of dark—almost black—purple lipstick. The kind the commercials claimed could stay un-smeared for eight hours out of the day.

Sora's eyes immediately began to twinkle, and a grin crossed over his features. Whenever Riku put on any sort of color on his lips, it meant that the brunet was going to get one of his rare chances to top that night. That was always an _extra _special treat. Not just because Sora loved to be given the dominant role, but because Riku was so, so, _sooooo_ sexy when he got fucked.

"Oooohhh, I'm gonna _like **this **_kind," Sora growled playfully, reaching to loop his arms around Riku's shoulders and bite his neck teasingly. Riku chuckled again, and capped his lipstick.

"Alright, get off me. I need to drive, you know."

"Hee, hee, hee." Sora pushed back the collar of Riku's black jacket-shirt to reveal the kanji tattooed on the right side of his neck. He sucked it lovingly, because he knew what it meant—Riku had looked up the Japanese kanji for Sora's name. Sora had Riku's kanji, too, on the left side of his neck—it had taken a hell of a lot of convincing from Riku for him to actually _get _the tattoo, but he'd done it.

"Now," Riku had said, "If only I could get this damn mark of that fucker, Ansem, off my chest." He meant, of course, the degraded symbol of the Heartless band that resided there. "Then we would be set."

The drive back to Riku's house was not very long, but it was long enough that by the time they had gotten there, Sora was feeling all kinds of excitement and was already scheming how he was going to take Riku tonight. It was actually a good thing Sora had grown so curious to expand his sexual deviancy: if he hadn't, he would have never figured out that Riku particularly liked rimming (giving _or _receiving, which freaked Sora out, at first. But Riku had a way of getting him to like _anything _they did in bed). He also would have never taken the chance to try and be on top. No matter what they did, if something was new, Sora was always a little apprehensive—but Riku was good about giving him encouragement.

Needless to say, Sora was now practically addicted to those special nights whenever Riku let him be top. Not to say, of course, that he didn't like _being_ topped.

"Do we wanna do anything new tonight?" Asked the brunet as he unbuckled, now that Riku had pulled into the driveway.

"Well, I don't know." Riku replied, smiling at him as they got out. "That's all up to you. You've got the driver's seat tonight."

"Hmmmm..." Sora grinned wickedly, trailing not more than a few inches behind Riku as the teen unlocked the door to his house. The brunet suddenly turned him around, and pushed his back up against the door. He stood up on his toes, and nudged Riku's head down with his fingers buried into silvery locks.

"Maybe I'll just stick with the stuff I know you like." And with that, Sora meshed his lips against Riku's, breaking past the purple-painted barrier of his lips to slide his tongue into that warm, inviting cavern. He and Riku both shuddered—Riku from Sora's (increasingly) incredible kissing skills, and Sora from that funny (but sexy) new feeling of the silver stud rubbing against his tongue. Sora moaned softly into the kiss—he may be getting the top tonight, but he would forever and always be Riku's little "uke."

The both of them giggled and made out almost viciously on Riku's front steps, starting to undress each other right there, disturbing the eyes and mind of a middle-aged neighbor out on his porch, enjoying a cigarette. Sora moaned a little louder as Riku ground against him.

"Aaah, Riku..."

"Mmm...Sora...you're not gonna take up smoking, are you?"

Sora giggled again, followed by another pleasured sigh as Riku's hands trailed up under his shirt. "No, never...aah...it's a disgusting habit..."

Riku smiled and drew him into another fervent kiss, opening the door behind him, and stumbling backwards with him into the house, closing the door.

The forty-odd-something man stared at the now-empty porch across from him in dumbstruck awe, his cigarette burning away in his hand. He stared at the toxic little tobacco roll, blinked at it a couple of times...and put it out in his ashtray.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Go here to see the lemon extension of this epilogue, and the results of the contest! (kujazlilmage. livejournal. com) 


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